


Lovers' Stories (The Good and The Bad)

by mazymay12



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Errortale, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Death, Depression, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluffiness, Gayness x50, Gender-Neutral Frisk, How Do I Tag, Ink knows some stuff, Male Chara, Multi, Murder, Polyamorous relationship, Suicide warning for quite a few of the chapters, They're humans in one chapter, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, What the heck is even chapter three, Will Add More Later, disability in one chapter, everyone needs help, never thought if tag that, oh there's a shitpost chapter, save the writer, talk of male nipples, why do i always hurt blue, youd think i wouldve tagged that by now but no
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-27 16:21:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 28,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7625461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mazymay12/pseuds/mazymay12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots, in which you get a peek at day-to-day life of lovers. Or, sometimes, just friends.<br/>__</p><p>Just a warning, I'm going to start putting * for trigger warnings, which include (but not limited) to character death, suicide, depression, referenced sexual/physical/verbal abuse on a child/adult, and more. Stay safe, ya'll.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. But who's really watching?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error indulges in memory lane.  
> Blue finds this movie to be funny... neither are complaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Movie night  
> Pairing: Errorberry

Error has to admit, he's grown soft. 

Sure, he still viewed the inhabitants of the multiverse to be glitches that he needed to destroy. But a certain little blue skeleton had softened him up.

Now, Error wouldn't let anyone know this... After all, he was supposed to be emotionless and get his job done. However, the little Blueberry caused this weird tingly feeling in his metaphorical stomach and soul. It felt like something had latched on the inverted heart but it wasn't necessarily... unpleasant? Like, he didn't enjoy the feeling (felt like needles and pins, clapping down on the most painful places) but it had a weird... sense of care with it? He's not sure.  
  
Either way, it had led to letting him go. He'd watched him, forced him even, to step through a glitchy portal and return to Underswap, to his brother. He could handle seeing the  ~~greatest~~ most confusing thing leave. He knew he wouldn't feel anything... yet, he did. He felt a horrible ache when he thought 'I'm alone again' and a sickly shiver over his spine when he came to the realization, a long while after he was gone, that he had loved him. It had been so long, he was sure it had been. 

He'd begun to come to his mind when he had figured out his feelings for Sans. He'd begun to work through all that had driven him to the point of insanity (it was hard to do so alone) so he doubted, feared he wouldn't be good enough for him.

But he was so  _lonely._  

That's what led him to the decision he made... and he honestly doesn't regret it. Sure, the little skeleton's brother still didn't trust him. Sure, he had the dust of thousands, maybe millions of monsters and blood from a couple humans on his hands. Sure, he could feel that soul crushing pain of depression but... he's not alone. No, someone's here for him. Maybe it'll be hard to go to him, to spill his secrets and regained memories like a glass of curdled milk, breaking away from the cup that held it... but it was what was needed for a new cup, with fresh milk. He knew this...  
  
He snapped from his thoughts when he heard his boyfriend's laugh, glancing at the screen to give himself a mental catch up. He'd seen the film so many times but... hearing Blue's laugh was infectious and he let out his own little 'heh'. His thumb ran over the other's pretty white knuckles. He wasn't ready for full on cuddling but hand holding is good. He can could handle that.  
  
After a moment of silence, letting his gaze move to the adorable face that he'd fallen in love with.

"Blue," his voice is soft, avoiding the glitching he knew that came about when he was louder,"I love you."

Blue eyes met his own, a big smile spreading across the other's face, hold tighter.  
  
"I love you, too, Error."  
  
They shared a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My very first request! 
> 
> I honestly have no idea what I was writing so I hope this is good!


	2. Cold*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sci finds that snow isn't the only thing that's cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Snow  
> Pairing: Science Sans x Underfell Sans

Sci was a scientist.

He was used to the cold, hard facts. That's what everything boiled down to, anyway.

Logic made up his thoughts... it made things simpler because he didn't need to worry about the emotions that came withe everything. There was no need to let sadness seep into his bones, or let angry control the fire in his eyes. It wasn't logical to do; it would muddle up his thoughts.

Of course, that didn't mean he didn't fall in love. Hell, he's been in relationships... and he was picky with the people he dated. If they made him feel like shit and the embodiment of heaven at the same time, he knew they were the one he was going to let into his life. Even then, it was hard to get through to him, to make him open up. And you couldn't be extremely emotional about it... After all, it was illogical and frightened him away.

So it was odd when Sci found himself enthralled with a certain, dark-themed skeleton.

The Sans from Underfell was emotional as emotional gets. The constant fear and tenseness, the occasional tears... it was almost like no one had ever seen him with a real smile. He was a mess of sweat, magic, and bone. Sci knew he wasn't his type.  
  
Yet... here he was, falling in love with the emotional, depressed version of himself. This was all so new to him, so strange. And he loved it! Strawberry was a puzzle in disguise... he never knew what was going to happen, even if he just assumed it was crying. But the other's actions ranged so much... It was so weird and fascinating.

But, sometimes, it got annoying. Like now, for instance. 

It had been, what, three years? Yeah, three years since they had begun dating. He knew that Strawberry wouldn't instantly get better with him being his boyfriend but  _boy_ did he think it'd help, even just a little. But it didn't, in a way. He'd seen Strawberry slowly grow to be happier, more energetic. He'd seen him get passionate, become cheerful and optimistic, in some cases! It was such a huge change and such a short amount of time and he was so  _goddamn proud_ of his boyfriend for it. But that doesn't mean things were perfect. He got scared easily, he couldn't order food because the cashier or waiter was too scary, and other things like that.

This was a similar situation... kinda.

It was kind of a blur, with yelling and fighting and Strawberry's running out the door, running away, the restaurant's glass door slamming shut as the customers begin to converse over the crazy monster's out-burst and the words bounced around in his skull, leaving him in a gaze with his jaw dropped and holding the menu as his soul let out a thrum of worry that his mind wasn't quite grasping. He was up and out before he could truly think, fingertips tearing into his palm's bone as his 'breath' puffed out in steam from the cold air. His jacket was left behind, leaving the turtle neck to be the only thing keeping him warm. Not that the warmth of his own bones mattered to him at the moment, as his boyfriend was missing and he couldn't find him, not matter how much he fought past the falling snow and pushed at strolling monsters and humans, no matter how much he looked and searched, he couldn't find him.  
  
...it had been seven hours... since then... and he'd finally found him.  
  
  


 

 

Sci was a scientist.

He was used to cold, hard facts. That's what everything boiled down to, anyway.

And the cold, hard facts here was Strawberry was dead. And there was nothing he could to save him... he was already dusting. Sci could only watch as pretty, white turned into gritty, ugly gray and he knew that this was going to hurt, that this was going to kill him on the inside slowly but he couldn't find himself caring about the pain inflicted on himself as a scream ripped from his throat, followed by a sob and a shiver, stumbling over to the familiar jacket and it was dusty it shouldn't be dusty, yet it was and it hurt, it hurt, it _ **hurt**_. 

Just touching the black and red sweater brought out tears, fingers moving the fabric to catch as much as the dust as he could, tying the sleeves to the end of it... He made a bag for dust that he shouldn't be carrying because Strawberry didn't deserve that... he deserved the happiness that Sci had been working so hard to get him to. The other skeleton was so sweet and caring under those scars and threats; this wasn't fair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sci was a scientist.

He was used to cold, hard facts. That's what everything boiled down to.

Emotions were a hassle and muddied his thoughts. They were inconvenient to progress.

And, yet, he found that he couldn't move on. The coat on his bed, the dust in a vase of Strawberry's favorite flowers. He knew he needed to let go...

But the facts are that he loved him... without a doubt and it'd never be the same without his lover in his arms.  
  


And, god, did he hate the facts for once.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought this was going to be happy?
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> So did I-


	3. Dancing to The Beat of My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space finds that his friend hides a little more of himself than expected.
> 
> Or:
> 
> They dance, because they are dorks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Dancing  
> Pairing: MySpace Sans x Underfell Sans

This dork was going to be the death of him.

Space was just coming in to check on Strawberry. The hide out was bathed in an array of blues, casting a gentle glow on pristine white bones as the dark-themed skeleton moved about. He looked so happy, moving in time to the song. The sound of rushing water didn't deter him... in fact, it seemed to push him onward. Space had been watching for a while now... and the other had gone through three slow songs, two hip hop, and four Ectro Swing songs.He was surprised, honestly, to see that he was a good dancer. His steps were coordinated, everything he did was elegant and perfect and, honestly, he was enjoying the view.

But, eventually, he did have to let himself be known, for he had food for the other.

"Yo, Strawberry!" He called, stepping in and shifting the bags of food into his other hand. He watched as the other stumbled for the first time since he started playing the music. It made him laugh, as mean as it sounds. He turned around, spotting Space and a dark red blush dusted white cheeks. A look of horror decorated the rest of his face.  
  
"Spacie! How long have you been standing there?" He squeaked, taking a step back and moving to turn off the radio.  
  
"Since ya began playing that one waltz. Real pretty, y'know?" Space chuckled, walking over and grabbing his hand. The bag fell to the floor,"You should teach me."  


The look that dawned on him was priceless and, admittedly, adorable.

So, after five minutes of begging and convincing, Space finally got him to teach him. Which dace, you may ask? Swing. He got him to teach him to swing dance.  
  
It took a while, trail and error, for him to even get himself to get the arm movements right. But watching Strawberry's face, lit up with pride and joy, was worth tripping and stumbling like a new born dear. The other's laughter was prettier than the catchy music that filled the air and he couldn't stop his own smile that crossed his face, watching the other double over.  


That's how the day continued, dancing and awful singing, sharing jokes and food... it was perfect, just like the Strawberry's smile.

In the back of his neck, he reminded himself that he should get some CDs for him... just so he could see him that happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I did this all based on Roleplays-
> 
> Also, I don't know how to dance so this is the best this is gonna get, really.


	4. A Table for Three... Hundred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Muffet admits that she's had a long day... but that's okay! Her family has her covered!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Family  
> Pairing: Muffer x Spiders (family relations)

Muffet was  _this_ close to snapping! 

It had been a long, long day at her new diner/bakery on the surface. The little building, titled  _On The Web,_ as the purple, light up words on the top would tell, had become known for sweet treats and gross surprises. Of course, it meant she had a lot of customers... and unwanted "guests". This included rude humans, who liked to talk her down for being a monster... or barely even one, people (monsters and humans alike) whom were angry at her little games she played with people's food (despite putting clear warnings on signs and menus), and just mean people in general.

Of course, with that said, there would be very awful days. Days that started out with waking from a nightmare, days where she could barely even function and her temper was shorter than usual; she'd snap, groan, and complain all day and almost everything got on her nerves... Unfortunately, barely anything helped at all.

Today had been one of those days. She'd dealt with six different racist humans, three angry customers, and that annoying skeleton's puns! She was quite through with everything!

So, of course, after cleaning up and counting the money (usually gone to her little spiders and her pet or the store), she'd gone straight to the back side of the building to go to bed. She was tired, worn, and in no mood for anything.

And she was about to announce just that when she turned on the light... but she froze, spotting tiny little friends on the table. A table cloth, purple with tiny lines making up a spiderweb, had been pulled over the polished redwood, her prettiest tea cups set up with cakes from the store beside them. A kettle had been placed in the center, matching the cups' black surfaces with exotic lines painted to be flowers with strings, much like a spider's string, strung out in an almost web. It had not only been her prettiest set, but her favorite, as her family had been the ones to purchase it for her... They had used the money she set aside for them to do it and it was so... sweet. She adored it.

"What's this...?" She asked, cocking her head to the side a little as her sets of hands clasped behind her, eyes widening a little. She could hear soft clicks and squeaks pass through her spiders and she giggled, letting a few lead her to her chair. Muffet settled down, leaning back a little and crossing her legs.  
  
"You guys are too sweet, y'know that?" Muffet cooed, lifting her cup and sipping from it. 

The night continued with stories and jokes from most of them, shared with joyous laughter and sometimes shushed whispers, like the people in the story were there and listening and none of them wanted to get caught. This was one of the rare moments when Muffet truly relaxed from harsh days and got to smile, big and wide and  _proud_.

Proud of the not-so-little family she got to call her own.


	5. Holograms and Screens (Strings and Memories)*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not for the first time, Error feels tired.
> 
> But, this time, he does something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one doesn't have a prompt.
> 
> Warning: Vent chapter

Error was...  _tired._  

Ink would say that the glitch was energetic, in a way. He had all the energy in the world, dedicated to destroying the worlds that had so much more than him. Ink said he was jealous, that he was determined to make everyone feel what he was feeling and Ink wasn't entirely wrong because Error  _was_ jealous but he was scared, too, with the kind of fear that follows everywhere, taunts and jabs to confidence as he lashed out to everyone around him, silently screaming for help because, god, he was so scared and so goddamn  _alone._ But he was also so, so tired... his bones creaked and his eye lids always felt so heavy. His grip on things, mentally and physically, had grown weak and he was so... close to giving up.

In fact, he was giving up. That's what Sanses did best, right...?  
  
So he sat, alone in the dark in a world never to quite be finished, abandoned by Ink when Error made a surprise visit. The remaining hill was large, with soft grass, a little wooden bench with a tree, resembling a weeping willow, loomed over with strange, glowing flowers blooming from the hanging branches. The sky, it had been a universe based off being on the Surface, wasn't it, was beautiful, with streaks of blue, pink, and purple in with inky black, tiny little stars twinkling and two moons hovering next to each other. 

Error was situated on the grass, staring up at the sky. Around him, bleary images danced about. They were holograms, created from magic and memory, but his memory was foggy, so the images were, too. They were in such pretty clothes, dresses folding and twirling while ties and coat tails swayed to their movements. When he had first summoned the holograms, before errors littered his bones, they had been a beautiful a beautiful blue. Now, they were an ugly, faded green and yellow that had been engraved into his head and haunted him, drove him crazy. They flickered and faded, he couldn't even see their faces and it hurt so much because he knew them but he didn't because he tried to think of a name his head hurt and his soul pounded and he wanted to  _scream_. But he was silent, like always. He couldn't bring himself to scream because scared they'd scream back so he stayed silent and watched the sky. 

His thoughts had drifted, a soft song on repeat in his mind. He'd heard it one time, on the Surface when he had destroyed a universe. He couldn't remember the name, but the words played through his mind, stealing away his breath as his eyes slid shut. He wouldn't dare sing; he hated his voice with a passion. But he could put his magic, to let the notes free, the figures dancing with the beat. 

So he did, the beginning of a saddened melody trickling to a beginning, the holograms starting anew as his fingers gripped the grass, knowing that, just outside of the circle of happy party-goers, there was another figure... he knew it was there but he didn't want to acknowledge that one, with the short height and chubby body that mirrored his own or the heavy jacket over his nice clothes, that he looked just like Error except normal and he just... pretended that he didn't know that the figure was more clear than the others because how could he forget himself?

His checks were wet. When had that happened? He doesn't know. But that's okay because he doesn't know a lot of things; his brain's been numbed down to only know that the universes were making him feel lonely and sick but he doesn't know why so he just holds onto the feeling, but he wants to let go. Error wants to let go but the strings are tightening and the screens are screaming at him that there's a new one, there's a new place that got luckier than his own and they needed to go... but he doesn't want them to, strangely... He wants them there. How odd.

 

 

It's been a while, he admits. He's been there the entire time... Sans must be worried, Ink must have found him. They might be looking but he doubts it... Who looks for their kidnapper and enemy?

Not that he cares. He's going to stay here, where he's alone. Where he's at peace.

 

The strings aren't letting go... and he's glad that they aren't, watching them squeeze the soul that was supposed to be white tinted blue but it's black tinted yellow. He hates it, knows that yellow is Justice but he doesn't serve justice... except this once.

It hurt, but that's okay. He deserved it, didn't he?

It's a win-win, if he died. No more of him tormenting others and he gets to rest.

The inverted soul pops and he feels his body begin to dust. He could hear some voices screaming, vaguely realizes its Blue and Ink, but he doesn't care. Sure, he loved Blue, with all of his metaphorical heart, and Ink could have been his friend, if he had let him but...

Error was... tired.

And now? He finally gets to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-
> 
> Whoops...?


	6. Always Time For The Incredibles References (AKA Author Bullshitting Chapters)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara should learn to keep his mouth shut, or Frisk is gonna end up making him suffer with awful references.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Where the hell is my knife?"  
> Pairing: Chara x Frisk
> 
> Please read end note!

"Where the hell is my knife?"  
  
Of course that's the first thing said in the morning, when Frisk is still forcing themselves from the bed. They groan, looking over to Chara, who is digging into his own drawers, knowing that Frisk  _will_ hit them with a stick if he got into the other's stuff. Despite being a pacifist, they were truly protective of their stuff, most likely from his messing around and breaking some of Frisk's photos.

"You're knife?" They mumbled sleepily, rubbing their eyes.  
  
"Yeah, my knife. Do you know where it is?" Chara snapped back, looking up to the, admittedly, adorable ambassador. Their hair was a mess, their PJs (just a long, warm shirt) were ruffled and they had a blanket wrapped around their thin frame, staring back at him with barely any idea of what was going on. 

"I put it away." Frisk offered, leaning back into their pillow.  
  
" _Where?_ " He replied quickly, jolting up.

"Why do you need to know?" They muttered, straightening their back as they, once again, pushed off the bed. Finally woke up enough to realize they have a meeting today, it seemed.

"I need it, Frisk!"  
  
"Why?"

Chara let out a low growl, putting his hands on his hips and tapping his foot. The reason was simple: he'd heard some jerk had been making fun of Frisk and, to him, that was unacceptable! They had to pay!  
  
"It's for the greater good!"

That's when Chara realized he made a mistake as Frisk's mouth formed a large smile, arms crossed over their chest and jutting out their hip in their sassiest pose.  
  
"I'm the greatest good you're ever gonna get!"  
  
Chara groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to take the chance, man-
> 
> Anyway, some of you have been requesting some chapters! That's really freaking great and makes me super happy that you would do that! However, I do need prompts. Why? I write better with an idea in mind.
> 
> Prompts can be: dialogue, a word, a feeling, or an action.  
> Pairings can be: Anything. If I have a problem with it, I'll tell you, though.  
> So far, people have asked me for more Errorberry, some Fell x Classic, and Afterdeath. Those of you have requested that, I would like some prompts but it's fine if you don't give me any at this point.


	7. Blind*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unseeing.
> 
> Tunnel vision. He doesn't know.
> 
> That's the way it should be, though. He's already has a hand full.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Errorberry

He was starting to become familiar with Error's habits.

It was scary how quickly he picked them up. He hadn't expected to understand each habit just yet; thought it'd take a lot longer. He had picked up that Error got up to eat chocolate when uncomfortable, hid under or behind something with every echo, how he would cover his face when he was scared, or how his eyes would travel to the kitchen when a yellow blush dusted his dark cheeks.

And, to be honest, he loved it. Once you got past all the scary stuff, Error was surprisingly sweet, caring, and really freaking adorable. He got shy and nervous now, seeing as he's moved past his anger by now. Blueberry remembered fondly about how hard him and Ink worked to get him there. Now, they were working on helping Error get over his fears. He's come a long way.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Error's fingers intertwined with his own: a testament to how he was getting used to being here, to touching and being happy. He glanced at the glitch, smile wide with pride and love. Stars above, he loved him so much.

Error loved him, too. Proved it with a shaky kiss to his smile before the relaxed into the couch, gaze to the TV as the night pressed on. It was late and he wanted to sleep but the other one beside him had a nightmare.  
  
So he'll stay by his side, whispering comforts and praises.

 

 

 

Never, ever does he see the watchful gaze of Papyrus, as he slowly grows more 

 

More 

And more

 

 

 

 

 

 

_lonely_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bullshitting all of my chapters. I'm so sorry.


	8. Real Classy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strawberry has always been rather charming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Classic x Fell

A laugh fell from his mouth, resting his head on his boyfriend's lap, staring up at him. One hand was intertwined with the other's, his free one resting on his stomach. Another beautiful sound filled his senses: Sans' chuckling.  
  
The two of them have been together for five years now... it was magical. Strawberry was so happy with the other, especially after all he's been through. Sans has been his support and lifeline, there for him no matter what and he's doing the best he can to return the favor. They'd seen each other at the worst and the best, seen them in the in-between and the not-even-close. They've held their breaths for each other, spoken the words they'd never say to anyone else... it was perfect, even if they fought sometimes or Strawberry decided to make his life shorter.

But they loved each other; that's what mattered. With another laugh, he rolled off of him. He landed on the floor before pushing himself up a little, getting on one knee. He held the other's hand.  
  
"Sans..."  
  
Sans' laughter stopped, a bony brow lifting as he stared at his long-time boyfriend in subdued curiosity.

Strawberry snickered softly, pulling out a ketchup bottle with a little ring attached to the nozzle," Will you make me the happiest skele in the entire Multiverse and marry me?"

 

 

 

Sans looked back on this memory fondly, staring at the picture that was snapped secretly by Papyrus. His thumb brushed over the glass, pretending to listen to his brother's rants on his outfit for the wedding. After a crap ton of begging, he got Strawberry to agree to a wedding dress... more as a joke but... he still couldn't wait to see him in the red silk.

He stood up, looking towards Papyrus with a big smile. Papyrus' gaze softened.

"THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I'VE SEEN YOU, BROTHER!" He shouted, offering his arm. It was high time to get to the stage before his bride.

 

A happy ending... at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shrug*


	9. From The Other Side of The Screen (Nothing But Dust)*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink felt nothing make contact with his fingers except specs of dust. A breath he didn't know was holding was released, eyes blurred as he stared forward, watching in mute terror. The strings were the first thing to start to shatter, then his hands, followed by his arms. It went up his legs and ended at his chest, where the soul had popped. The dust specs floated about in the little-to no wind, dancing along the air like a great ball. He gagged, his mind finally catching up to reality: that was his friend. And his friend was gone. He could feel the tears spilling down his cheeks, his hand falling.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> There was nothing.
> 
>  
> 
> n o t h i n g
> 
> a t a l l.

When Error disappeared, Blue thought it'd be like any other time.

I mean, deep down, he knew it wasn't. He'd watch him break down into tears, claw at his head, run away every time he got near before disappearing into a glitched portal. But he wanted to believe that it was, that he was going to return and everything would be okay, that Error wasn't hiding away somewhere because he was breaking apart from the inside, in pure pain and that it was just another spat.

But that's not the case. The longer he was gone, the more Blue realized this. 

He was scared. Scared that he'd be left here, alone forever. Scared that Error would hurt some; hurt  _himself._ He cared deeply for Error, even loved him. He couldn't bear the lose.

Before he knew it, he was crying. For how long, he didn't know... and, honestly, didn't care. He could hear the voices begging him to cheer up.

* * *

 Ink was starting to worry.

Sure, the painter was known for being a bit of a worrywart. But he hasn't run into Error, like he usually did when he was out and about. And, when he visited the Anti-Void, he only found a Swap Sans, to which he'd learned had been there for a while, awaiting his return.

He decided that he was going to look, with the help of the Blueberry. God, he hoped he was okay. 

He knew Error wasn't exactly mentally stable. He was scared and sad, broken like mirror against a wall, shattering in a morbid beauty of shards of glass, spinning their own webs of depression and paranoia, knew that Error stared into those pieces with a blank expression with an internal war raging on inside, screaming in his head for someone, for  _anyone_ to end the suffering brought upon him, whether it be from death or saving. But He didn't know how far he'd go; he didn't know if Error would commit the deed himself and it scared him to know end, knowing that his 'enemy' would do such a thing. He wanted to help and he knew Blue did, too.

* * *

 

Two weeks, four days, ten hours, and thirty minutes.

 

Blue's been keeping count. Ink can hear him mumbling the seconds; twenty three, twenty four, twenty five-

 

Ink feels like he's going insane.

* * *

Four weeks, three days, thirteen hours, and fifty minutes.

 

Blue's voice is gone. Ink knows that he'd still be able to scream, if they found out that Error did something drastic. Ink hates the picture he puts in his mind; all strings tied around joints, hanging from a tree with Error's head lolling to the side, eye sockets blank as he dusts. He wished he could throw up and forget the image.

 

Somehow, the silence drove him crazier than the constant counting.

* * *

 

His fingers shook as he stared down at the list he has created. It's the places they looked and got in contact with. It felt like they had eyes everywhere.

 

  1. **~~Undertale~~ (twelve)**
  2. **~~Underswap~~ (nineteen)**
  3. **~~Anti-Void~~  **
  4. **~~Load Screen~~**
  5. **~~Reapertale~~**
  6. **~~Outertale~~ (twenty four)**
  7. **~~Horrortale~~ (five)**
  8. **~~Underfell~~ (sixteen)-**



He had to stop himself from continuing to read down the list, knowing there was several more alternate universes they've checked and haven't checked. It left him winded and scared, more so than before. He hated how many versions there of each universe. For once, it left him with an unsettled feeling

He ripped it apart.

* * *

 

They've checked seven more Outertales, nine more Underswaps, and sixteen other Undertales. Nothing.

Ink felt like he was losing hope. Stars, he wasn't going to give up.

* * *

 

Blue hasn't slept in nine days. He fell asleep on Ink today; it's worrying.

 

To be fair, Ink hasn't eaten anything in over six days.

* * *

 

They set up a deal; Ink would eat normally and Blue would sleep. If the other didn't do what they had agreed on, they didn't have to do their part.

 

Ink realized how flawed this was when he woke up to Blue crying.

* * *

 

Blue actually got them to take a break. They didn't want to but they did; their bodies couldn't take much more of this.

They took turns bathing, eating, sleeping, and relaxing. It was nice.

* * *

 

Nearly a month. Ink didn't know Error could stand that long without returning to his puppets; he knew that they were his only entertainment for the most part.

He knows that the only place they really should check now was abandoned universes. Error could be there for a hundred years and not notice because time doesn't work in those broken pockets of lost ideas and broken dreams.

* * *

 

They found him. 

They found him but, god, they wished it had been sooner because the strings were too tight, the pain on Error's face was evident and Ink felt like screaming, already heard it in the air and it took him a moment too long to really understand that it wasn't a trick of him mind, that he was actually screeching in horror as he surged forward.

He could hear Blue's sobs and pleas, voice cracking and hoarse from all his counting and crying before this. He could hear the tremble, the break-aways and fade outs, all in hyper detail that he didn't even know excited. It felt like slow motion, fingers, brushing the first string, trying to grab at it before-

 

Nothing.

 

 

Ink felt nothing make contact with his fingers except specs of dust. A breath he didn't know was holding was released, eyes blurred as he stared forward, watching in mute terror. The strings were the first thing to start to shatter, then his hands, followed by his arms. It went up his legs and ended at his chest, where the soul had popped. The dust specs floated about in the little-to no wind, dancing along the air like a great ball. He gagged, his mind finally catching up to reality: that was his friend. And his friend was gone. He could feel the tears spilling down his cheeks, his hand falling.

 

 

There was nothing.

 

n o t h i n g

a t   **a l l.**

* * *

The funeral was hard to do. After all, Error didn't have much at all. He didn't value the Anti-Void, which was good because Ink refused to ever let Error's dust touch the taunting white that served as the glitch's home. In the end, they settled on his creepy puppets, his shirt, and his shorts. Blue had stolen Error's sweater... and he wasn't going to let it go. Ink learned very quickly that Blue had fallen for his would-be captor and, seeing him gone, must have hurt the little skeleton to no end. He offered his comfort the best he could, with his own soul reeling.

After wrapping the puppets in the clothes and spreading the dust among it, Ink took the bundle to Outertale, tucking it neatly and hidden away from prying eyes. Though, he still made sure that the stars were visible... Error liked the stars.

 

The two said their parting words before making a quick get away, not wanting to cry in front of their fallen friend's grave.

* * *

It had been two years since Error's death, not that anyone had been counting.

Blue had reunited with his brother and the two had grown closer. Despite the hatred for the glitch, Papyrus learned to accepted that he wasn't all that bad, that he did need someone to help him, especially after hearing what happened. He had to help his brother through the lingering nightmares of seeing the twirling dust against the starry sky.

Ink went on as usual. His job was ten times easier but ninety times more boring and lonely. He'd be fine, though. He missed Error, but it had been two years. He was going to let his friend rest in peace.

The two Sanses met up every once in a while, a sort of get together to talk about their feelings or just to sit down and watch a movie. They would also bring candy, drinks, and cool knickknacks they found to Error's grave and some big gift every year on his birthday. They'll never truly get over the lose of Error... but, at least now, they didn't cry every time. No, they gave sad or, some times, happy smiles and told stories, showed new tricks they learned and made jokes... If the glitch could talk, they both knew he'd be laughing, and not from maliciousness. 

Blue mauled over this as he bid his farewells to Error's grave, pushing the candies closer to the mound and adjusting the dark jacket, walking off to meet Ink at their star gazing spot.

 

As he walked, he swore he could hear the sounds of strings being summoned and a candy wrapper being thrown into the trash.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie, this was actually pretty fun to write. I hope that was okay ending? I thought it meant be a good one, left so open-ended. Blue is either completely losing it or Error's soul still lingers, in a way. *shrug*
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, I got some requests that I'm not quite sure I'm ready to do. But I'll totally try, guys.
> 
> So, to those who wanted Geno x Death and Ink x Dream (ithinkthatsright-), I'm gonna put it off, okay? I've never written Death or Dream before so it's making me nervous. But I'll do it, eventually.
> 
> Next chapter will hopefully be MettaSans. As much as I love Sanscest, I need some of ships, too.


	10. Breath Taking/Stunning (I Want to Tell You How Much You Mean To Me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mettaton offers Sans a chance to be on his talk show.
> 
> He asks him to describe colors without using the word. Instead of a joke, Sans lets himself spill.

The lights bore down upon him, causing the room to spin and sweat to bead upon his skull. For Sans, though, this was normal and he managed to force his smile wider as his gaze flickered from the crowd to the host, Mettaton.

The surface had been everything everyone wanted and more. Of course, there was troubles in settling and a long, tiring political battle to earn citizenship and the like. It had been a tough spot to go through but now everyone's evened out for the most part. Sure, there was still racism surrounding monsters and their culture but what could they do? The humans had racism surrounding  _everything._

Luckily, one of the stations that featured nothing of the sort was MTT-TV Live, a show Mettaton started that featured humans and monsters alike, a chance to learn about life as either one. Mettaton himself picked the guests, usually people on the streets he found interesting. It didn't matter if you were famous or not; you just had appear entertaining. Which was both odd and not so much for Sans: he wasn't famous at all. Everyone in their small group had become popular but him; Undyne being an athlete, Papyrus a physical therapist and chief, Alphys a scientist, the king and queen politicians and teachers, and, of course, Mettaton a singer, dancer, and talk show host, with helps of his lovely cousin Nastablook.

Sans was in the background. He was a lazy worker at a greasy restaurant that wasn't even Grillby's, a comedian who got a spotlight once a month at the same rundown joint. There wasn't much to him... he didn't even look interesting!

But, for some reason, Mettaton picked him to go up on stage. Maybe it was for jokes...?  
  
They were on air, now.

"Hello, beauties and gentle beauties~! Welcome back to MTT TV Like. Today's guest is our neighborhood comedian: Sans the Skeleton!" Mettaton's voice called out to the cameras and audience, which responded in loud cheers as if they knew the little skeleton like a celebrity. One look from Mettaton and Sans knew to wave with his usual lazy grin upon his cheeks.

"Heya. Glad to be here." He muttered softly. Mettaton leaned forward a bit, fingers tapping the desk with a fond smile.  


"No need to be so shy, Sans~!" He cooed, laughing at the light blue blush he got in response.  
  
"heh, I guess the attention's rattled my bones." Cue groan from the crowd, which resulted in more confidence for the pun master.

 

"oh, funny, darlin'. Anyway, are you ready? I've got the questions all together."  


Sans' fingers twitched on his lap,"ready as I'll ever be. Lay it on me, Metta."

* * *

 

The questions had started out rather simple; it was all about his life. Who were his living relatives, what had been his job in the Underground and what it was now, hobbies, ect, ect. Simple stuff. Stuff that didn't delve too deep into his life... Mettaton really was treating him a little differently than his past talkers...

 That was okay. He knew Mettaton remembered what happened last time everyone got curious.

After a while, the host decided it was time for a challenge. It happened with all of his guests; he'd pick something that they had to do and they'd do their best to complete the task. Usually, it was funny. Sometimes, it got serious. Either way, it was always interesting to see.

"You'll describe colors without using their names, darling," Mettaton cooed, tracing the grain of the wood in his desk. He looked as if Sans describing these colors would reveal every single secret he's hidden away, like unwrapping precious gifts all for himself. Knowing him, though, he wouldn't mind how ugly it would be... Oh, no. Mettaton knew how to be grateful for even things he wished not to have.

And, perhaps, he really was finding the secrets Sans held away for so long within his responses.

"Shoot, then."

"White."

 

 

A heartbeat... a soul... He held his breath before letting it flow.

"White... you all expect me to say snow, right? You're not wrong. It's the color of freshly fallen snow, stretched as far as the eye could see. The color of innocence, the color of the untainted. The color some people use to describe beauty, pure and unadulterated. But it's the color of lies; there is nothing pure... there is nothing that could be that _perfect._ So, in itself, even as a paradox, it itself is imperfect and impure."

Silence.

 

Skip a beat.

 

"Blue."

"The color of cold... icy, freezing to the touch.  A warning... Some say it is gorgeous...  I say it is hideous. The color of judgement, gross patience. Of hopelessness, of fear. The color of rage, the color of humorlessness. There's nothing fun about it; it's the color of everything terrible in this world."

  
Hesitance...  
  
"Gray."  
  
"The color of in between... of dust, of life. There is no pure and there is no completely corrupt; only in between. It takes both to make one."

 

"Orange?"  
  
"The color of greatness, strength, love. The color I wished I could be but am not. The color of never giving up, of bravery. The color of family..."

 

"pink?"

 

Silence. A deep breath, released. A pause.

 

"Beauty. The color of the person I see in my dreams. The color of their lips, of their fingers... dripping with all that is beautiful. The color of their eyes, full of confidence and grace. The color they leave in their wake as they walk, a carpet trailing behind. You know where they've been... It's almost as their very being is that one single, brilliant color. The color of their clothes, of their smile. It's the color of their stunning image... the color of having your breath taken away from one little look. It's the color of love... the kind I could only hope to have."

* * *

 

Sans felt arms wrap around him, a big smile gracing his features as he tilted his head back to look at his lover.

"Rewatching this, huh?"  
  
"Of course. I love seeing your face, Metta."  
  
Mettaton chuckled softly, kissing his forehead.

"Darling, you see my face everyday."  
  
"But I never grow tired of it."  
  
  


 

 

It lasted three years. He thought he was in the clear.

No.

 

Of course he was not.

 

 

 

 

 

Everything went white. And everything before became a pink-tinted dream... 

 

 

 

 

 

**{Reset}**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this one was enjoyable.
> 
> I'm super sorry it took so long! I was having a hard time typing it out, really. 
> 
> Anyway, I was wondering if any of you would like it if I started a small collection of failed chapters? Y'know, let you guys use what I have written, since I won't use them?


	11. A Memory in The Passing*⊙

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Ink can remember and recall different memories of each other.
> 
> That is, until one can't.

Ink remembers, once, he and Dream had stopped in a timeline to watch the sunset. The two were very busy skeletons, of course, so it's rare for such things to occur, let alone with both of them. But there they were, sitting on the edge of the cliff, staring at the pastels of red, orange, and pink fade away with the sun and turn to dazzling light of stars in dark blue and inky black.

  
Ink remembers that, in that moment, he looked to Dreams and fell in love. Not with the pretty reflection of the sky in Dream's eyes but with Dream himself. He remembered how he leaned in, how he pressed a kiss against him.

  
Ink remembers how he kissed back, how their hands clasped together like puzzle pieces connected right before they fell from the entirty, how their breaths came out in desprate whines and whispers, how they pressed together as if they were scared of letting go, as if the other would dissappear in a cloud of dust in the wind.  
Ink remembers.  
__  
Dream recalls, once, he found Ink after a battle with Error. The creator was rather beaten, cracks littering his bones to the point that Dream was worried he'd fall apart right in front of him. Naturally, he sat beside him and tried his best to help. When asked what had happened, Ink brokenly whispered 'I won'.

  
Dream recalls how hurt Ink sounded. He asked him why that would be tragic, he had told him that he felt awful for Error, that he got a peek inside his head and found nothing but fear and a need for some sort of interaction. He told him, in startling clarity, that Error wanted to die... and Ink had almost granted that wish.

  
Dream recalls holding the other tightly, rocking back and forth and humming quietly. He was limp, muttering apologies to anyone who couldn't hear. Ink was trying to get closer yet, in need of the support of physical affection to confirm to him that, yes, they were both real, both alive and that, no, he wasn't awful and he was just defending himself and doing his job.

  
Dream recalls.  
__

Ink remembers, once upon a time, watching Dream completely fall apart in front of him. The other was known for being happy almost always. He usually had a large a smile painted on his face, going about with as much cheer as anyone could. That is, until today.  
  
He held him, even as his arms became numb from the weight and his legs cramped. He whispered what he hoped was comforting words, rocking him back and forth. Dream was much better at this than he was.  
  
Ink remembered learning about Nightmare and how much that brother had hurt Dream.  
__

Dream recalled learning about Valentine's Day. He had left a note to Ink to tell him about it and, when the day came, he brought him chocolates and flowers. 

It turns out, Ink never got the note. Error doesn't rest; another universe destroyed. When he came over, Ink was tiredly sipping at a glass of milk, crude bandages wrapped around his injuries. 

Dream recalled, at that moment, Ink tell him how fragile his 'enemy' had gotten. That day, Error died...

Dream recalled braiding the roses into a crown, singing as Ink stared blankly at his lap, how he would help Ink slip a chocolate into his mouth as tears slowly welled into his eyes.

Oh, how hurt he was by this...

\--

They both can think of a time, not so long ago, when the two finally  _truly_ admitted that they loved each other. It took far too long, to be honest.

Only... Ink didn't last long into the relationship.

Sometimes, fate has a funny way of toying with people. Dream had watched as Ink and Error were reborn.

But his lover did not remember him.

Dream thought of this as he watched the sunset... alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, that Dream and Ink chapter-


	12. Dusk Till Dawn (I Never Meant For This To Happen)*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geno can't survive outside of the save screen... and, without his soul reaped, he would surely end up in a place that he wouldn't wish to be.
> 
> Both fortunately and unfortunately, Death is there to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting those requested pairings done-

"..."  
  
"Not speaking, hmm?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Come on, say something."  
  
"..."  
  
"Please, speak. Say anything... I don't care what it is; yell, scream, laugh... please, just make a sound!"

". . ."

Death stared brokenly, gripping the sleeves of his cloak. Before him, Geno sat at the base of a tree, gazing out to a sunset. His appearance was covered his own cloak, red fabric falling down his hunched over form and silk ribbon tied neatly to keep the hood shaped. The silence clawed between them. 

"I... I know you didn't want this... But it would have ended worse if I hadn't-"  
  
"Death, shut up!" Geno shouted but kept his gaze away from the other skeleton. Death flinched and sighed, sinking to his knees. He wished he could say that his own eyes wandered to the view but found it much too hard to even do that.

Just when he thought that silence would rule over them once more, Geno sobbed, curling up and covering his face. Death scooted closer, feeling his soul pull and break at the sight. He never wanted to cause this skeleton pain... He truly didn't. He let himself get attached, let himself fall for the monster before him, but then he hurt him. 

He  _killed_ him. How will the other ever forgive him, he's not sure.

* * *

 

There they were again, on the cliff with the beautiful sunset. This time, there was no anger between the two... Rather, a dark acceptance to what happened. The air felt heavy to the both of them, the landscape growing darker as the sun's last rays fell behind mountains and earth, allowing inky black to  eventually scrape across the sky, interrupted by the twinkling of countless stars. Whenever he saw them, the glow of the tiny little dots felt foreign... and almost made Geno feel as if he was smaller than he actually was. But there was an odd comfort to that, as if he was staring at the incredible amount of outcomes and this... this one was somehow the best.

It had been weeks since Death reaped Geno's soul, and the two had a rocky relationship since that moment. Of course, their relations to one and another had always been a little rough, what with Death's insensitivity and Geno's bottled up emotions, but it seemed like the two would break off.  
  
However, they didn't. Death had given him the space he needed... and Geno gave him forgiveness, in the end.  
  
"Funny how this all plays out," Geno murmured, leaning against the tree as the last of the light bathed him in gentle yellows. His companion nodded slowly, letting out a soft hum as he moved closer.  
  
"do ya know what they plan on using ya for?"  
  
"I think I'm going to ignore those gods and go help Life."  
  
The two snickered softly and settled into silence. Unlike the first time since the incident, it somehow was comfortable.

As the dusk faded away, Death slowly stood up, offering his hand to the other skeleton, who gladly took it. The red cloak dipped and dived in the wind, mirrored by its black twin that Death adorned. He smiled and Geno echoed it back.  
  
"Let's get ya to Life, then. I'm sure she'd love some more company."  
  
Once again, the two laughed as the walked away, leaving the cliff once more empty... The only thing that showed it had been occupied was a headstone... and a ribbon tied to the carved rock, the ends twirling.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda gave up partially into the chapter and let it happen. I'm very tired.


	13. the death of a star (prettier than mine)*⊙

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps he fancies a glamorous demise.
> 
> But how can he achieve that when he isn't a star?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Underfell Sans  
> Vent chapter

The bone marrow in his mouth spilled forth, a sea of gross red slipping into a waterfall but there was no lake underneath. Only his feet to cushion the fall that shouldn't be happening. 

As it gushed, he realized that, honest to god, this was a very different ending to his story than he thought.

Sure, he thought something _might_ happen and he'd piss off the wrong person. That was pretty much a given! No one could stand the crude mouth, lined with sharp teeth, or the weight he held, with the dust on his bony little fingers. He was annoying, crass, insensitive, and it was bound to cause something.

But, somehow, he never predicted it'd be his own hand that would snap his life short.

 _God,_ he was nothing but trouble. No one deserved the burden of him. No one needed him. His brother had grown up and could take care of himself. He was useless.

 

 

Useless.

 

 

 

 

One time, when they reached the surface, he watched something about the death of a star. The startling beauty as distraction clamped it's ugly jaws on the brilliant light stunned him into gentle silent, sockets parted as the slow motion dive down took part on a screen and he couldn't help but think...

**I wish my death could be that amazing.**

Suddenly, he was even more fascinated with meeting his end than ever. Before, he was too lazy to even do the deed himself so he never bothered thinking too long on the subject. Now, though? It was like something had been restored and he had an unruly amount of energy for killing himself.

 

 _God,_  what a sweet thought.

 

 

 

 

Sans found that he didn't regret this... Well, except he did regret that it wasn't beautiful.

 

His demise was fully of disgusting cracks and bursts of red, gooy light from his soul, and sickening crunches and horrible, horrible, disfigurement and _g_ _o_ **d I** t hurt so much make it stop m ake I t st op-

 

The snow was dyed red and he so wanted it to be bright pinks and yellows and full of passionate burning out but his energy was the only burnt out part of it and there so pretty lights. There was nothing but bone marrow and dust. So much dust. Even so, he kept digging the knife into nine, kept throwing himself against trees, kept hitting his head on the old sentry post...

Over and over and over and over and ov-

 

like a broken record.

over and over and over and over an-

* * *

 

He woke up. Like per normal, his blankets were on the ground, tangled into a mass to create a ball. There was the trash tornado in the corner and the broken tread mill.

 

he was back in Snowdin.

 

over and over and over and over again, keeps going, bittersweet, going again-

 

maybe this time it would be prettier?

O v e r a n d o v e r-

 

 _God,_  he hoped so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written all of the other chapters but just have to type them up. Lost my computer because I'm an idiot but I'll have them up eventually.


	14. Aftermath of a Good Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding went on and the two never felt better than they do now, lying in their bed with late night giggles.

The wedding was beautiful, really. The gorgeous silk that Mettaton ensured they'd have gleamed under the warm glow of the lanterns strung up down the aisle and the dance floor. The Waterfalls' ever-present gentle light seemed softer, with the crystals embedded on the ceiling twinkling like mock stars, as if congratulations were being uttered to the two as they wed.

Undyne had caught the bouquet. Sans felt thrilled as the warrior, clad in a stunning tux, bent down to kiss the reptilian braid's maid, who looked just as amazing in the white and red dress to match the bride and decoré. One look at his lover confirmed, with a fluttering feeling his soul, that he felt the same. His ruby eye lights twinkled with content and excitement, rough fingers holding Sans' even counterparts. The two, without speaking, shared their thoughts with low grins as they eyed the two women from afar. 

The dress Strawberry wore was rather simple. Anything above a little lace was not his thing. Nonetheless, Sans found that it was the best thing he'd ever seen. The color of fresh snow stained the majority of it, with a red strip running down the back,mwidening at the base. Red lace grew from it, in the pattern of flowers, and white swirls sweeper inward in the red section in the back. A ribbon was tied around his waist, with the tails of the bow swaying with his every move. Grillby, who had the honor of being the best man's best man (because Papyrus always came before his friends but Grillby was a close second so, naturally, he needed them both by his side), danced with Strawberry once Sans' feet swore revenge and made him sit out. Papyrus would have done it but he'd been last seen in the corner with Mettaton, the two whispering and glancing out with happy looks.

Sans didn't mind. The skirts of the dress did not do his partner's elegant dancing justice, even if the fabric's twirling added to the scenery. His eyes remained on Strawberry's face, which was bright. Of course, he was the luckiest skeleton in the Underground to have such a wonderful person to be his husband.

The night wore on and Strawberry was growing tired, energy sapped from all the excitement around him. The groom was proud of him, anyway. He lasted a lot longer than either of them could have hoped for.

So, now, they were in Mettaton's hotel on the surface, where a specific room was reserved just for them. The fairy lights that hung overhead soothed the two, who were now neatly tucked into the silk covers. Strawberry was curled up at his side, head on his chest and clothed in shorts and a tee shirt, just like Sans, and his arms tucked over his chest. Sans' arm followed the length of his back, murmuring visions of their future. He painted a picture in the other's mind that was better than the wedding, if he were to be asked. 

Las the two drifted off into sleep's gentle embrace, they both found that the years ahead held many great things... And they were excited for it. Unlike before, their determination to live these possibilities out grew, knowing they had each other.


	15. Bye Bye Baby Blue*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Funny how, even if you don't have flesh, something can make your skin crawl.

Cherry knew better than to panic. He spent hours, practicing his breathing in situations that would make his soul flair with magic he really, honestly didn't have anymore. He spent hours beside Blueberry, in the kitchen, or the couch, or in the small, blank patches in either Snowdin, thinking about the feeling he got beside the smaller, more energetic skeleton. The happiness that swirled in his mind, the sudden boost in his scarred bones, the added hop in his lop sided walk…

But those hours, days, even, amounted to nothing when he heard the news. God, he knew better than letting the happy go lucky Berry on his own in Fell, of all places!

Cherry knew that Blue wasn't as naive as he seemed. But he also knew that his partner had very little knowledge on what a cruel place the world could be. While he wished Blue had more knowledge, he never wanted this.

Could skeletons get sick?

(‘Yes, they can, Sans. You know that very well. You threw up ever’-)  
(He's not ready yet. Not now. Not now.)

Either way, he felt like it. He wanted the throw up. How could someone hurt him? Maybe a shit stain like Cherry, but not Blue… Not ever the sweet soul that seemed to tag along like a lost puppy.

So why? Why did it happen anyway?  
___

Blue was alive, but barely. He knew this because his brother carried him to their boarded up home and laid him down on the lumpy couch, on the verge of dusting and more cuts in the once pristine white than Cherry and Boss had combined. From where he was, hiding at the stair well, wringing his hands together, he could see quite a few ribs missing, as well as three phalanges, a long, precise cut from where his hairline would be as a human to his chin, getting thin at the ends and thickest where the cut met his left eye socket. Brilliant blue magic sparked from the right, lidded socket, suggesting the left had been completely destroyed. He also spied, but ignored in favor of denial, a missing right arm.

Boss was flittering about, trying to stop the bleeding and the dust that covered the dark cushions, putting the small skeleton on morbid display. He knew his little brother knew he was there, cowering, and he was thankful that he didn't dare call him out.

This was his fault, wasn't it?  
___

It had been eight months. Blue had become stable enough to transfer to Swap again, where he was brought to the hospital. Since then, for fear of the other’s brother’s rage, Cherry stayed put in his universe, even though his body urged him to leave, just to check in on him.

But he didn't deserve to satisfy that concern, did he?

Not after what he'd done.

Why did he have to be petty in fights?  
___

Stretch had been calling. Frequently. It started on Cherry’s phone, where the chosen ringtone of a cartoon bear from the surface chattered on about honey stuttered out from the banged up, red cell. When it became clear that he wasn't going to pick up, the Swap began to spam Boss’s phone.

When the annoying ringing finally got to him, three weeks later, after nonstop calling and asking for Cherry, he finally forced his older brother to sit down and answer his alternate.

Cherry wasn't a cryer… But the moment the questions began, tears spilled down his bony cheeks like disgusting waterfalls. If Boss noticed, he didn't mention it. If Cherry caught Boss’s worried looks, he didn't speak of it.

Even though he couldn't see the scene the two created in their kitchen, Stretch knew damn well what was happening… But decided to wait for the next ‘chat’ to call them out. For now, he had some information to process.  
___

Stretch never got to talk about their little slip up in defense as, when he called next, Cherry had locked himself in his room, leaving his little brother worrying so much that he found it hard to work. Blue had become quite popular with their Alphys and Undyne, meaning the two actively sought after whoever committed the deed. Hell, even Asgore had a soft spot for the small skeleton, and encouraged them to do so. Of course, that meant Boss was a big part in the investigation, leading teams of Royal Guard to and fro in whatever leads he managed to scrape by.

But, with his brother slipping back to his old habits, he couldn't do it. They had worked so hard…

His brother didn't deserve this. He wasn't at fault.

It was a mistake.

All a mistake.  
___

Cherry visited Blue in the hospital once, in the dead of night where the even the moon wouldn't grace his figure with its overlooked, beautiful light. Blue was out like a light, a tray of food still almost full by his bedside and flowers littering the room.

He looked dead, even with the rise and fall of his ribcage.

He couldn't go again.  
___

He heard, from the conversation his brother and his alternate were having in the kitchen, that Blue was finally speaking again, giving detailed accounts of what happened at random intervals, where he looked blank, not knowing he was actually speaking. Not a lot of detail of his captors, though, other than scales that gleamed like blades.

He overheard it because his magic was failing, leading to random dusting, due to the lack of food he'd eaten. After too much fell from his already fragile and thin bones, he managed to push himself out.

Before he could leave, Boss was scooping him up into his arms, concern twisting his scarred face.

“You feel a lot fucking lighter, brother!”  
  
Cherry felt sick. He said nothing.

“...I suppose you haven't eaten… For a while, actually… I'll make you something,” Boss tried, giving his best smile as he deposited him into a chair. Cherry didn't look up.

He didn't speak.

He heard the two talking, about Blue… And about him… But it didn't register.

He didn't look up.

He didn't speak.  
___

Boss came up to his room, holding a plate of Grillby’s best burger and fries, a smile on his face as he forced the door open.

“Good news, brother! We figured out who was behind the attack,” he didn't even falter when his brother didn't respond,”Undyne is leading the dogs to the vile creature to ensure punishment! All will be well again!”

Cherry twitched, but he didn't smile.

“In celebration, I brought you your favorite and, tonight, we feast with the Swap and Tale brothers! Won't that be delightful? Stretch has been going on and on about how fuckin badly Blue wants to talk to you!”

Cherry sat up.

His question was answered, finally, about the skeletons getting sick, without the feeling of something missing.

He threw up.  
___

The night wasn't canceled. Boss wanted nothing more than the three groups of brothers to meet for dinner on such a glorious occasion. But he made soup, too, because Cherry looked ill.

The Tales were the first to arrive. Sans was walking for once, though he looked tired. His brother led him to the table with a gentle hand, helping him into the seat before joining Boss in cooking.

Sans gave a soft greeting to Cherry, but Cherry didn't even glance up.  
___

The two stayed silent until the Swaps arrived.

Blue looked even more tired than Sans, but even he couldn't compare to the way Stretch looked. The two were clearly miserable…

Blue had a walking stick, which helped him to the table. His walk was lopsided, far more than Cherry’s, and he paused from time to time for a break. His missing arm was replaced with a metal one, likely with the help of their Undyne, along with whatever fingers had been pulled off. His chest fell and rose unevenly and his breathes came out heavy, but he refused help until he needed into the seat.

Stretch wobbled behind, gripping a stack of papers. His sleeves were rolled up, a new watch on one hand, and a badly made bracelet on the other. Looking to Blue, he had a matching one on his wrist, too. But, other than that and his bandanna, he wore nothing that he usually wore before.

Once Blue was settled, Stretch joined the other Papyruses, leaving the Sanses in a sea of uneasy silence.

…

“...you look more dead on your feet than me, Cherry,” Blue murmured, voice soft and weak from either constant use or hardly any.

Sans glanced between the two, tempted to leave but stopped only when Cherry placed his hand over the other’s. Blue paused before reaching over, laying his own, smaller hand over the two’s.

“Three peas in a pod,” Cherry croaked with a thin, wobbly smile. Blue’s mismatched fingers fell through the spaces through his cracked, bitten, and shaky ones, which rested lightly against Sans’ currently bandaged ones.

The other two Sanses chuckled.

But they weren't happy. Not in this moment.

They smiled, but it seemed like glass.  
___

The meal proceeded as planned, almost. The food was warm, and looked absolutely fantastic. Boss, Papyrus, and Blue were all known for not eating or sleeping as much as normal monsters, but even they had an absurd amount on their plates. Well, Boss and Papyrus did…

However, the Sanses all had a barely anything on their plate. Paps said that they had eaten lunch late so Sans wasn't very hungry but… Everyone knew it was a lie. News travels fast through the universe. Sans was getting surgery soon. There was no appetite in someone who was sure they'd die.

Cherry, even with the dust, found it hard to stomach much more than a piece of bread.

Blue didn't even need an excuse. Everyone knew why he wouldn't touch much of anything.

Stretch, oddly enough, had the most food on his plate.

Sans, Cherry, and Stretch didn't even reach to touch their favorite condiments.

Nothing was right.

It felt like a failed puzzle, missing only a piece of the edge to complete the picture; wrong.

It felt wrong.  
__

Sans shifted on the chair, picking at his bandages with his ever present grin. However, he twitched, cleared his ‘throat’, and kicked his legs awkwardly.

“how do dogs eat their food?” He offered, sounding frail and scared of the response he would get. Cherry twitched.

Papyrus’ expression turned upward into confusion, staring at his brother as Stretch covered his now rare smile. Blue squinted, chipping at the crack in his face as if it itched and Boss crossed his arms.

“Sa-”

“They wolf it down,” Sans finished, drumming a ‘budam’ on the warped wood of the table, and sounding out the ‘tss’ right afterward,”get it?”

Stretch and Cherry let out quiet, short lived bursts of laughter, an ugly sounding that died quickly in their throats, leaving bitter tastes in their mouths.

Blue didn't care, even as his swapped counterparts groaned with disgust.  
___

One month after the meal, Cherry was on the verge of falling down. No one in their universe knew how to help him, as they didn't know kindness.

He had just become the easiest target for free exp.

Boss never left his side.  
___

One month after the meal, five days after Cherry had become the weakest being in the entire Fell universe, Sans went into surgery. It took forever to get the machinery and equipment prepared, as that Alphys had said, and they took great care in ensuring the skeleton’s survival.

He didn't make it.

No one heard from Papyrus after that.  
___

One month after the meal, eleven days after the announcement of Sans’ death, Blue attended, for the first time, Surface therapy. At least, first time for him.

His therapist was human, but very kind. It was hard to be ready for the armful that was the tiny skeleton.

No one was ever ready.

No one.  
___

Three months after the meal, Boss had gifted Cherry a journal, so he could unload everything from his shoulders at least. In less than two months, it was full.

Boss picked up more. He wanted his brother to be okay.

He wanted to help.  
___

XX/19/ XXXX  
Dear journal,

Boss is still worried about me. If I disappeared, he wouldn't be. I'm a danger to his job and he knows it. Why doesn't he just let me go?  
Blue would've.  
He doesn't say it, but he's still mad about the fight. He hates me for being so pathetic. He hates me for leaving him alone.  
He hates me.  
I deserve it.  
-Cherry  
__  
XX/19/XXXX  
Dearest diary,  
I miss talking with Cherry. I think he blames himself for what happened. But how was he supposed to know it would have happened? It's not his fault. It's not even mine. I know that now.  
I miss him.  
-_*Blue*_-  
___

A monster almost got Cherry, who didn't even try to fight for his life. Luckily, Boss saved him but… he was sent to Tale to live with Papyrus until he recovered.

But, between his crushing problems and Papyrus’ grief, he sometimes got sent to Swap. During that time, he ignored Blue… To make sure he didn't hurt his feelings, he ignored Stretch, too.

It became a routine, like joint custody.

It became a chore.  
__

“Paps, do you sometimes wish you could trade me in for your bro?”

“No. I don't want anyone else, in all the universes, to have have to feel like this.”

“...”

“Your brother loves you. He'd be devastated if he lost you. More so than I am.”

“I wish he didn't.”

“Huh…?”

“Never mind. Good night, Papyrus.”

“Good night, Cherry…”  
__  
XX/2/XXXX  
Dear journal,

I wonder, quite a bit, what its like to be dead. I wish Sans and Blue were here. I don't want to think about death.  
I dunno how to stop it.

I'm scared  
-Cherry  
__

Dear Journal,  
Sans has not made progress. It's been months.

I'm getting lonely.

The human is here, though. Maybe, when he gets back, I can escort him to the Surface.

He'd love it, wouldn't he?  
XX/5/XXXX  
_-| BOSS |-_  
__

Journ,

cherry is here again. im worried bout him.

hes fragile, like blue.

5 of xx, xxxx  
stretch--  
__

My dearest, exquisite Journal,  
On XX/10/XXXX

I am deeply sorry that I have not written. Since the last time I wrote, Sans dusted whilst in his surgery and I have, much to my now horror, taken to referring to his dust as if it were still him. Luckily, by helping nourish Cherry back to health, I have come to my senses!  
Writing soon,  
Papyrus  
__

Cherry stared at the setting sun from his ledge, the picnic coming to a close behind him. He felt Stretch’s gaze burning in the back of his neck.

Anger bubbled through his bones, clenching his fists as he ground his teeth together, glaring to the sun.

I'm not gonna jump, asshole.

He turned to yell it, only to waver when his gaze met Blue’s. Stretch was busying himself with putting up the spare food, talking with Undyne about science.

Cherry turned back quickly.

He wondered if he was getting sick, not for the first time.  
__  
XX/12/XXXX  
Dearest Diary,  
Sometimes, I'm scared Cherry is going to jump. We take him to mountains for picnics, especially at night. The last time he smiled truly, even if it was little, it was when he was close to the stars for the first time.  
We tried to get him smile again.  
I'm scared he’ll jump.  
-_*Blue*_-  
__

Papyrus finally emerged from his universe, dressed unusually in a casual t-shirt, sweatpants, and his brother’s jacket. A pin, likely given to him by his Undyne, rested on his chest.

It said ‘to my brother’ in all caps and two drinks clinking together.

Boss pretended he didn't see it.  
__

Boss gave him a curt greeting, a thin smile spreading on his face. The human drummed on the table, watching in curiosity. Another Papyrus?

“It's good to see you've finally come out.”

“I, unfortunately, won't be here long. Just seeing you is tiring me, I'm afraid.”

The darker skeleton nodded, expression solumn,” I figured as much. At least you're well, though.”

“I suppose,” Papyrus murmured, stuffing his hands into the sweater pockets,” Cherry is a delight, sure, but not the best company. I've been… Lonely.”

“I'm sorry.”

“No need for apologies. I know you have been alone, too.”  
___

My dearest, exquisite Journal,  
On XX/19/XXXX  
I got to meet the Fells’ human! What a delight to chat with, not to mention Boss himself. The two of us have been meaning to catch up, now that I think of it. Nonetheless, I do hope the Swaps are doing better than we are.  
___

Blue felt like he was dancing around Cherry’s evasive tactics. Every time he felt as if they made progress, something happened and Cherry broke under the pressure.

During these times, as he rubbed his back as he gagged and puked, he wished they kept a better eye on Cherry’s sleep medications.

In its own, it was like a jump.

Cherry proved that he'd do it.

He'd jump.  
___

“Sometimes, I wish Sans was still alive.”

“...”

“I mean, I know he wasn't happy and he was suffering… But… I wish he was here.”

“...”

“He'd know how to help… You and my brother and his brother…”

“...”

“Is it so cruel to ask that he was here?”

“...”

“Am I a bad person for wanting that?”

“...”

“I-”

“I miss him, too, Blue.”

Cherry finally looked at him, truly and meaningfully. Blue wanted to cry.  
___

Since the incident, Blue never found his brother sleeping during the daytime. He became a busybody, working and scheduling, keeping track of therapy, doctor, and med appointments.

Today, scattered in unpaid bills and letters of bad and good news, he found him passed out, fingers curled around a pen.

Just across from him, Cherry was sleeping, too, hand outstretched and holding Stretch’s right hand.

His soul felt heavy.  
___

The flashing lights of changing scenes spanned the living room, only truly witnessed by Cherry, who was engrossed in the movie’s story, despite its violence. He didn't pick it out, Stretch probably did, but it was better than he imagined.

Still, suicide seemed to be a theme. He pretended not to notice the other two looking at him from time to time.

Eventually, Stretch fell asleep and Cherry zeroed in further on the plot. His finger tapped against his knee, sockets peering unblinkingly into the screen.

He realized, after a while, that he had gotten good at pretending. The reason why he could safely say this is that Blue didn't notice he had some attention still focused on him and, thus, had found himself curled in a ball.

He pretended he didn't notice the way Blue whimpered each time blood spilled.  
___

Stretch rubbed his eyes, staring at his brother with a weak smile. It had been a long time since Blue had snuggled with anyone and, even though it hurt that he wasn't the first to cuddle him after the event, he was happy it was with Cherry. Especially with the way the two seemed to be at peace.

Blue’s smaller body was curled into a ball, Cherry’s wrapped around him like a protective dog. Their fingers wove together as Blue’s head rested on his chest and Cherry’s chin perched upon his skull.

With a low, tired, and perhaps even lonely, sigh, he covered the two with a blanket and walked away.

As much as he wanted to stay in the peace, he had appointments to track and calls to make.

God, he was so tired.  
___

Journ,

cherry likes to write in his journ, too. i notice him doing it a lot, in the morns… usually it's at night though.

something else i noticed is that, sometimes, he writes on scrap paper. i worry that itll be the last thing he writes.

25th of xx, xxxx  
stretch--  
___

His fingers tapped against the wood, breathe held as he stared at his paper. It was sort of like a suicide note… Only, he wasn't going to do it.

(‘Of course you will. You've proven it already-’)  
(Shhh…)

He found he didn't like it… So he tore it up and threw it away.

Out of sight, out of mind.

His pencil shook in his grasp.

Out of sight, out of mind.

He itched, burned for it to end.

But… Out of sight, out of mind.  
__

Something Cherry soon learned is that he hated therapy. Why did he learn that?

Blue got tired of being constantly afraid of him dusting. Stretch got tired of watching him write and write, with an expression of pain and fear. They got tired of the constant reminder that he'd take the leap.

It helped, for a while. But, perhaps, Cherry wasn't trying hard enough. I mean, Sases do that, don't they?  
__

“Cherry,” Blue breathed, small, shaky hands cradling his head, fingers running over the bumpy surface with seemingly memorized ease. The dull blue of his eye lights stared down, met with Cherry’s blurry red ones.

“I'm scared…”

Cherry smiled, weakly, mockingly,”scaredy cat.”

He missed the blue orbs the moment they closed, felt regret when magic fell, running down his exposed ribs.

“Don't cry,” he rasped, face twisting up in agony and regret,”c’mon, Blue, please don't cry…”

“You're dying!”

“...”

Blue opened his eyes again, blank sockets taunting. He didn't even flinch when Cherry’s fingers interlocked with his, like the hold is all that was needed to save a life. The clock was ticking, too fast, too loud and he hated it because, with each pronounced second, his love’s life slipped through his fingers.

“Please don't go… I need you… Please…”

“Shhh… It'll be okay… Everything's alright…”

The thumping of Stretch’s frantic running didn't register with them.

“Ple-”

“It's okay… We'll be okay… I love you…”

 

(‘He's always been foolish, hasn't he?’)  
(Quite. Nothing we can do, though, Doctor.)


	16. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Half way through banter and chill and he gives you this look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hardly any actual shipping here. Sorry bout that.

Swaps' Movie Nights were always a favorite of the AUs. The party was always planned when even the Swaps were stressed out, causing it to go through several days before ending, with themes each time. Movies or show marathons were coordinated with the themes, pillow forts were constructed, baking contests were held, play fights were won... Overall, a fun time without stresses, concerns, and alcohol. It was a time for everyone to meet others thems, like Strawberry, a Fell Sans that cried, ate sweets, and whispered, and Cherry, a Fell Sans that bit, clawed, cussed, and kicked his way around. Whether you were from Horrortale or chilled in the void, you were welcome here.

This time around was what everyone had deemed The Usuals. Cherry and Boss from the most well known Fell universe, Pommagrante, or Pommy, and Slim from Swapfell, Sans and Papyrus, the originals, Ink, Error, and Fresh, the Out of Codes, Lust and Pinkie from Underlust, and, of course, Blue and Stretch, the hosts.

so far, the party had gone roughly four days, with other Swaps coming in and out for at least an hour of fun and learning. Cherry had somehow claimed the recliner, which was now covered with fuzzy blankets and small pillows, which he tended to protect by swaiting people with a foam bat when they came too close. His brother choose to share the air mattress in front of the tv with Blue, which meant a lot of flirting, and Stretch, who was softly teasing Pommy. Error and Lust had stolen the couch, each stretching out to take up half of it, whilst watching Pinkie and Ink chatter in the beanbags. Sans, Papyrus, Fresh, and Slim were bickering in the kitchen, the smell of slightly burnt, sugary cake, spaghetti, quiche, and something unidentifiable filling the air, along side the yelling and laughter.

In essence, this all meant it was going well. 

The tv was shut off for the time being, since dinner was in progress, leaving everyone to their own devices.

"so, like, if human guys have nipples, does that mean they could technically produce milk?"

Error squinted at the person who had dealt such a weird question, which, as expected, was Lust.

"man, I dunno. And I don't care?" Error piped up in response, shaking his head.

"in theory, yeah, they could," Ink interjected, leaning further back in his beanbag," they have milk ducts and mammary tissue, plus the hormones responsible for milk production."

"Ink, how the fuck do you know that?" The glitch questioned, kicking Lust's leg as he burst into laughter, stammering out his usual 'holy shit'.

"I need to know a lot of stuff to make things, yknow!"

Blue, after halting his conversation with Boss, chucked a slipper at Lust, hitting him square on the face," hush you, you three! That's gross!"

Before any more arguing could be had, dinner was served.

* * *

 

The morning after was an interesting one. Cherry's back popped as he sat up from the recliner, loud enough to startle a good chunk of people. Lust was apperently already up, singled by his empty spot and the rustling in the kitchen. Surprising, since he'd usually be asleep still... He even got up before the Papyruses.

as the morning began, Lust exited the kitchen with a plate of pancakes. He looked pleased with himself, enough so that it caused everyone to pause.

"this is a whole lot of pancakes," Lust grinned, closing his eyes and whispering.

"good thing I'm a whole lotta man."

 

As Error's glitchy laughter filled the air, the other disoriented skeletons just staring,mBlue gave a soft smile.

 

"morning, Lust."

 

Yeah, the movie parties were the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i called my girlfriend a gay chipmunk for this chapter tbh


	17. Settle My Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which he slips away, even when the nothingness holds on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some human!Sans/human!Toriel/human!Asgore.
> 
> I love this ship so much, guys.

He looked into the mirror and saw nothingness.

He looked hard, leaning into the cold surface, but he was only met with the dark circles under his eyes, the mismatched colors of blue and brown of his irises boring back into him, reddish brown skin that wasn't beautiful, not like his brother's, dark hair that fell to his shoulders when it wasn't pulled into a ponytail, and freckles that weren't cute or endearing.

it was nothingness.

he felt the weight of the world settle on his chest, his ribs groaning in protest, ready to snap, as his heart tried to beat against the pressure. He felt ready to explode. His whirlwind of thoughts beat against his mind's eye and there was nothing that could stop it within his own arsenal of tools.

but all quieted when a large, warm hand touched his bare shoulder. Adjusting his gaze confirmed Asgore had entered the bathroom, wearing only his boxers and his warm smile that he reserved only for Tori and him.

"Sans, isn't it quite late to stare in the mirror?" The larger male cooed out, dropping his head slightly. Sans closed his eyes for a moment, wondering if, when he'd open them, it would be just a dream.

"...nah. Yknow, I just like watching my reflection  _mirror_ me," Sans whispered back, leaning into the warmth of his lover. He felt the gentle touch of lips to his scalp, which still managed to dust his cheeks in a red glow.

"it's too late for jokes, too," Asgore responded, scooping up Sans easily," come back to bed. Toriel had awoken without your little body in her arms."

This time, Sans didn't say anything, just imagining the plump woman groggily grumbling without her so called 'cuddle bug'. He supposed that was the best part about being small; fitting between the two was easy and comfortable, just what they all needed and wanted.

as Asgore pushed through the door, he found he wasn't entirely incorrect: Toriel was sprawled out, a soft pout on her lips as she stared sleepily at the ceiling, her night gown bunched up awkwardly. She hardly moved as the bed creaked under the tallest' movements. Only when Sans was deposited by her, did she roll onto her side and pull him closer.

"where were you, sleepy bones?"

"oh, yknow, doin' a skele-ton of work in the bathroom."

they paused as Asgore's large arm came across Sans and rested on Toriel's hip, a weak glower aimed at the two in protest. Skeleton jokes were banned after the Halloween incident. Even so, they merely chuckled at his apperent displeasure.

"Sleep, you two."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was going to be longer but I couldn't get it to flow right so here's this.


	18. papyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papaya

Nyeh heh heh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My girlfriend requested a Papyrus chapter that wasn't sad so this is all I've got


	19. Something Not Quite There*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And, really, who cares? He knows you don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You stay long enough to hear, and to learn.

As the knife sliced through his ribs, your heart pounded against his. You never wanted this, per say. You just wanted to  _understand_. 

Even though They cooed in malicious delight, you knew They didn't want this, either.

you watched as he pressed a gloved hand to the quickly reddening shirt, but his usual chatter didn't reach you. He stared, as of disappointed, not shocked, as whatever that was contained within his bones spilled down his chin, his seemingly forever grin replaced by an odd frown.

the change made you freeze.

 It was you who broke eye contact first, turning your head as if the shame that came with this pushed it to the side, like They had grabbed your face and made you look away, to make you feel worse because you couldn't even own up to what you'd caused, all the dust you had spilled... Only the rustling of his parka and the slop of his ruined shirt signaled any movement from him, which you figured might have been shifting uneasily. Slowly, footsteps echoed in the room.

you turned your head once more, this time of your own will, to watch him hobble towards a pillar, where he leaned and slide against it. His legs stretched out awkwardly, his head lolling the side as he stared at the ground. You noted, in the back of your mind, faintly, that he'd taken off his gloves.

"You haven't left yet," he rasped out, sockets narrowed and hazily gazing at you.

'you haven't died yet,' you signed back warily. He let out a low, dry chuckle... Odd how similar it sounded to his usual laugh.

you decided not to think about.

"ya don't expect me to dust instantly, do ya?"

'your stats say otherwise. Besides, the other monsters did.'

"...stats ain't everything, kid. Plus, I'm not like other monsters."

with that, you both fell into silence so thick you could slice it with a knife.

you pretended that the metaphor was funny.

 

his eyes closed, fingers laced together like puzzle pieces, like patchwork, over his wound. His expression once again shifted to one you're not used to seeing from him: deep thought, confusion and hurt. You would mirror it but knew you didn't have to; you'd already done it the moment you let yourself kill. You knew now that you weren't free from the consequences, whether it be from the intense guilt or the raging, fiery vengeance that urged it's way down your spine, clawing over your back as if to mark every wrong you had committed.

"why...," His voice trailed off... But you knew what he was asking," is it even... You?"

you paused, moving like your snail at Blooky's farm to his side, settling down. How could you answer? There was so many things you could say, that you could do but you don't know if he'd understand, if he could have an inkling of why. You knew, in some sense, why you did it. But, in others, you didn't.

 

you unwillingly focus on the Judgement Hall, the warm, honey glow slowly dying out to be replaced by a consuming dark. It was like a simulated night time... Which made sense, by all rights. But... It looked as if it were in ruins, like the pillars were going to topple over and the glass was going to shatter more and you knew that you fighting Sans didn't help a thing because it had created a mess in an already dirty place, that which was haunted by ghosts of others who had tried and failed to drag themselves away. 

It looked like a grave.

by all rights, it was one.

you pretended that you weren't thinking too hard.

 

'...there's something I need to understand. There's still people I need to save.'

"...oh..."

after that, he decided not to respond. You could tell that he held back sputtering coughs, fighting down the red that threatened to spill forth more, unbidden waterfalls that he didn't want... And nor did you.

"...uh, I don't think murderin us-"

'can't really talk to them without this path.'

 

"there's some people not worth saving, kid. Just let sleepin dogs lie."

you pretended that, as you walked towards the king with malicious content, that you hadn't watched him doesn't, sick and pleased, disgusted... And you pretended that you didn't know what his dying words were.

theres some people not worth saving.

you knew, but no longer bore any meaning.

so you pretended.

so you learned.

 

some people just weren't worst the saving.


	20. Dear My Not Quite Everything*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink receives a letter on his birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mafiatale Sans x Ink
> 
> I finally got it done

_Dear my not quite everything,_

 

_funny how things can tumble apart like it was nothing, huh? I don't want ya to blame yourself; you did everything you could. We both knew that my home was his next target. We both knew, one way or another, I'd die before you did._

_I mean, cmon, you're basically a god. And what was I to that? Nothing. Just another danger on the streets of a not quite paradise._

_listen, we both knew this would never work out, yknow? You had to worry about everyone else and I was too busy murdering and demanding money-- we both had too many enemies... Too many powerful enemies that would have used us against one another. It wouldn't have gone all that pretty._

 

_but, hey, I do love you. Always will. There won't be dust to spread for my funeral... But I sent you some of my most prized possessions. Ain't much but... I'd like you to have them. It's not like I could give them to someone else, anyway._

_keep going for me, Inky. I'm gonna miss ya, wherever I'll be going._

 

_Happy birthday,_

_Your Mr. Almost_  

* * *

 

***There is a fancy hat and trench coat in a package under the letter**

***Ink recieved Mr. Almost attire!**

***There is a photo attached of two people he recognizes clearly.**

***Ink pretends that it doesn't exist.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to make my chapters longer but this one felt like it needed to be short. I kept rewriting it but, eventually, I settled on a different style.


	21. And You Spoke of Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, where does a child's innocence goes when they lose it? Does it just disappear into a poof of smoke? Or does it gather at the end of the Waterfalls with other untold, dusty treasures?
> 
> Even without a map, she almost wanted to find out.
> 
>  
> 
> ...

The first time Alphys visited here, she played pretend.

The edge of the waterfall was one of her favorite spots. The blue spilled into nothingness, as if it knew it's way down there, knew there would be treasure and beauty and she could almost imagine it, almost stepped off to follow just so she could see for herself but she didn't. She didn't because there was a home to go back to still, repairs that needed to be done... And that's all she could think of.

Alphys stared blankly down, her fingers etched into the white of her winter coat. The emptiness filled her lungs, dragged her shoulders down and closed her eyes, like everything would go away the moment she just tipped forward.

how easy would it be? How simple letting go could be, just a little more weight, and she'd be gone.

gone.

just a little more. 

* * *

The second time she came through, she met a little skeleton boy.

it was warmer, leaving a humid, heavy feeling in the air of Waterfall. The weight made her tired and sluggish, but paid no heed as she trekked to the place on her mind. Only a little away, she could already tell that he was thinking, thinking about the riches down in the darkness, of seeing it for himself. He, too, leaned forward, eyes closed, breathe barely there, and imagined falling down, slipping away into the sound of thundering, powerful water.

she moved closer, the water splashing against her little legs. He turned to look at her, white eyes swimming in his sockets.

"...hi," he whispered, voice broken and hoarse.

"...h-hello," she murmured back, voice quiet and lackluster.

* * *

 The third time, she met a rowdy fish monster with fiery red hair and an eyepatch. The girl was playing in the garbage, taking magic spears and plunging them into things like she was fighting in a war. Even though she was likely Alphys' age, aka almost out of stripes, she was clearly still very childlike.

the fish girl noticed her first.

"hey! You're that punk that Paps told me about!" She declared loudly, jumping off the pile and rushing over like a bullet ready to make its mark.

"you met his brother, yeah?"

"..."

they stared at each other for a little while. The silence was deafening.

* * *

 Time's claws always found its way to dig through people, pulling apart skin and muscled to reveal the disgusting insides of another whilst they still lived, and it's why Alphys figured that monsters dusted, and humans did not. Monsters could live for hundreds and hundreds of years, and, even if they didn't, their bodies were fragile when they died. Monsters are strong, right up to that point.

so they must dust because Time pulled them apart a little too hard.

here she was, again on the edge, as she thought about the drop and Time and why she would dust instead of having a body that would prevail, and why such things could be so very cruel, watching the water pour down like treasure had presented itself and it had a treasure map.

She wondered if she would get a treasure map, too, if she fell.

 

"why do ya always look like yer gonna jump e'ery time I see ya?"

The voice was male, but rather soft, hardly above a murmur. Even so, she jumped, jerking to look at however spoke.

it was the skeleton boy.

"I c-can ask you th-the same thing," she responded, equally as quiet," and it's every, not e'ery."

The boy just rolled his eye lights, wadding over to her. Alphys eyed him, taking in the tattered, oversized sweater, the striped shirt that looked like it hadn't been washed in ages, gross sneakers and what looked like gloves that used to have fingers. He looked like he needed a home...

"I don't care how is said, bud," he paused, jerking a thumb to the fall,"yknow someone's gonna miss ya if ya jump."

"hypocrite."

"...was tha'?"

she scrunched her face, deciding not to even bother since she didn't know the word well enough to define it.

"I mean, someone's going to miss you, too."

there was a pause, and he let out a weak laugh, shaking his head.

"aint no body gonna miss somethin like me."

* * *

She lost lost count how many times she had visited this exact spot. At this rate, she should just live here. 

But, this time, she met the next skeleton boy. She had heard a lot about him; the first would really only let himself spill when it was about his little brother, and the fish girl said that he was her best friend. 

Papyrus. That's his name.

the skeleton was thin and lanky, almost the same height as his unnamed brother. He wore better clothes: a long coat that looked a bit old and patches on the elbow, red rain boots, shorts, and a long, red scarf. Despite this, he still looked as if he didn't eat much, and that he had no place to call home. He stood at the edge, but, unlike the other boy, he just seemed... Innocently curious...

she moved towards him, the splash of her short legs alerting the boy, though he didn't seem to care. He only turned when she was near. 

He looked happy. Why was he so happy?

"HELLO!!! UNDYNE SAID YOU WOULD SHOW UP EVENTUALLY!" His voice was loud, confident and boisterous. How he and the fish girl managed to be this way was beyond her.

"Undyne? Y-you mean the fish g-girl?" She responded back, fidgeting with her claws. Papyrus tilted his head, his grin widening at the question.

"YES! THAT'S HER! SHE SAYS SHE IS GOING TO BE THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD. ISN'T THAT COOL?"

"...y-yeah... It is..."

the two paused for a moment before he spoke again.

"SHE SAId that you haven't told her your name yet. Why is that, friend?"

somehow, the quieter voice scared her more than his louder one. Yet, she pushed on," I j-j-just forget, I guess? Um... M-my name's Alphys. I know you're P-Papyrus, right?"

"THE ONE AND ONLY!"

* * *

Somehow, despite never actually saying anything, the children made a schedule. On Mondays, Alphys would be alone to watch the water. On Tuesdays, the first skeleton boy, still unnamed to her, would be sitting there before she showed up, like he didn't have school, and they would talk for a while about falling. Sometimes, she would end up teaching him some stuff.

then, for two days, she wouldn't go to the waterfall. The first she spent in the area, wandering aimlessly, and the second, she went straight home.

Friday was for Undyne, and Saturday for Papyrus. Never did she see any of them at the same time.

almost like each one didn't know the others came here... 

Strange, but she never bothered questioning it. It felt wrong to do so.

 

I mean, they all knew each other, right?

* * *

 Another Tuesday rolled around and, as always, s he found herself at the waterfall. The skeleton boy lounged beside the edge, gripping a small piece of what she assumed was bread. Unusual, as she'd never seen him eat.

 

she had a feeling that the brother had something better than a piece of bread.

 

Alphys made her way over, slumping beside him and stretching out her legs. The boy took a bite, a quiet hum replacing his greeting for the day.

"h-hey, stranger," she responded, staring down the cliff like always. 

"sup?" He muttered once he finished, lolling his head to look at her. They stared for a moment before the lizard moo step shrugged.

...

 

"...are you homeless?"

"...Yknow, pal, anythin' issa home when you ain't alone."

 

...what a strange boy.

 

"why do you say that?" Alphys asked, softly, almost afraid of the answer.

"I mean, like," he began gesture visibly, as if the movements would prove his point without him speaking it,"  you've got a house, right? Are you happy there? Are you happy in general?"

"...yes?"

"don't lie to me. I know better, bud, and you're not happy. I've seen you on the edge of this very spot, thinkin' 'bout the jump more times than I count. Ain't no happy person gonna do that."

"...you can only count to ten."

The boy gave her a look and she let out a quiet laugh at the expression.

"off topic. Anyways, like, a house isn't going to magically make someone happy. Sure, it's scary on the streets an' I sometimes can't get enough to feed either me or Paps, let alone the two of us. But, an' I know this is a fact, that houses can be just as scary. We like to pretend that there's no harm but, let's face it, there's some bad monsters out there, hurtin' their families, starvin' an' hittin' an' they can't escape. Me an' my bro have shelter, an' each other. We don't need nothin' else."

as he finished, he fell back into the shallow, swirling water. 

"But you're not happy?"

"no, I'm not, but I'm happier than you."

 

"..."

 

 She closed her eyes, wandering if he was right.

* * *

 The schedule was broken. She knows because she could hear the two skeleton kids laughing. She knows because she can see the older one leaning back, a big smile on his face as the younger jumped around in the water. She noticed that they both bore new clothes of some kind; shiny, red boots for Papyrus and blue sneakers with stars, and matching gloves, for the other brother.

 

Papyrus glanced up and beamed, waving excitedly," hello, Alphys, friend!"

she smiled back, small but genuine, as she moved closer. Papyrus had this affect on people, always making them happy and relaxed, even with his bellowing voice. 

"Alphys?" The boy echoed, confused," tha's your name?"

his brother turned, scowling.

"OH MY GOD, SANS! YOU'VE BEEN SPENDING SO MUCH TIME WITH HER AND YOU STILL DON'T KNOW HER NAME?"

Alphys snorted,"to be f-fair, I didn't know his until now."

Papyrus threw his hands up in frustration, letting out a 'nyeh'. The older children started laughing.

 

for the first time since she had began talking with them, she realized she was making friends.

and, boy, were they interesting ones.

 

 

* * *

 She was surprised when she was the first one here. After all, Undyne always made sure she was first, ranting on and on about how she was going to be the Captain of the Royal Guard so she needed to be early, always! It was nice; hearing so much enthusiasm made her feel like she, too, could acomplish her dreams of working with the Royal Scientist.

 

odd, but enough to make her question. She settled on a trash heap, pulling out her book. Something or other about science, of course, and a book written by her childhood hero.

half way through the third page and she was suddenly tackled by the red headed fish, her book somehow magically flipping before landing safely where she had previously sat. The boisterous girl let out a war cry, lifting her hands into the air. Another cry followed and she found herself dog piled by two way-too-happy kids, Papyrus and Undyne.

"w-was th-"

"necessary? Incredibly so." Undyne smirked brightly, single eye twinkling. Papyrus just let out a laugh in response.

Alphys' body was bound to be sore from this but... Well, that greeting was fantastic, she had to admit.

 

the two let her up and, as they did, two adults came out. One she recognized as the current Captain, who scowled at the girl beside her. What was his name?

"as proud of I am for that perfect form, sweetie, don't tackle unsuspecting pedestrians."

"Gerson, she's not _just_  an unsuspecting pedestrian! She's my friend, Alphys! Isn't that right, Paps?" Undyne turned to the skeleton, still grinning, unphased by the fearsome leader. Alphys realized that she must be staying with him.

as the three talked, or bickered, she couldn't tell, she felt her soul almost leave her body. Right before her was the freaking King. he was watching them all with amusement on his face. Slowly, he turned to her.

"Undyne's a handful, isn't she? She's a good girl, though," he remarked, crossing his arms," anyway, you must be Alphys, yes? These two talk so much about you."

Welp, this is official; she must be dead.

"th-they talk about me...?"

"extensively. It makes my own want to meet you. You must be good fun."

Alphys let out a stammered, flustered hum, looking to her friends. Undyne caught her attention and smirked.

 

nope, she's definitely alive. She knows because those two are going to be the death of her.

* * *

 

Not long after meeting the king, who, for some reason, offered her a trip to meet his scientist after a while, she found herself with a rather hefty group of people. And, man, she was having the time of her life.

Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne were, of course, there, but so were the King's son and child. How this happened was beyond her, but here she was, discussing the stars with Chara and Sans while watching Papyrus, Undyne, and Asriel roughhouse in the water. 

Sometime passed of just that before the topic changed.

"...so, like, who of you two are older?" Chara asked Sans, as the tree lied down just to watch the other three.

"I am," Sans declared proudly," been raisin' him myself since he was, like, one? I think?"

Alohys raised a brow," seriously? Must've been tough."

"at least we know that you'd be a good dad," Chara remarked, much to Sans' apparent horror.

"Whoa, I ain't raisin' anyone else. I draw the line there."

the other two shared a quiet snicker.

"what about you, Chara? Whose older?" Alphys asked curiously, fiddling with her sweater.

"um, good question?" They shrugged," like, Assy's a monster so... He's younger as far as, like, I dunno, the how-long-do-you-live-on-average ratio? But, as far as human years go, I'm younger?"

"call bull on that," Sans replied, waving his hand around.

She nodded in agreement to the skeleton," monsters are more complicated than that. Boss monsters like him and the king and Queen stop aging at some point til they have kids. So that's assuming he settles down and, if he does, he'd probably live the average human lifespan, maybe? Sans, how long do skeletons live?"

"dunno. Most died in the war and they were all pretty young. I'd hafta guess maybe... Two hundred years? An' that's still pretty iffy 'cuz you need to take in account what type of skeleton they are, their magic color, when they were made and or born, and their HP."

"I call bull on that," Chara mocked, staring at him in surprise.

"no, I kid ya not. I heard that science-y guy talk about it on the radio next to the store in Snowdin."

"...wait, is he a skeleton?" Alphys asked.

"...another good question, Alphy." Chara shrugged once more," monsters are weird."

"says the human," Sans replied, lightly jabbing them in the side.

"shit, Sans!"

Sans and Aplys stared at them, the only warning anyone had was another war cry before the other buried the Royal child.

"rip Chara," Sans bowed his head, placing his hand on his chest, above his soul.

"OH, GOD, THEY GOT ME-" cried Chara," SAVE ME, FRIENDS-"

"Sometimes we can still hear their voice," Alphys continued.

"DAMMIT!"

 

she liked these new friends of hers. She hoped this would last; forever.

* * *

 

 

 

three weeks later, Sans and Papyrus were adopted by Gaster, who was, indeed, a skeleton. Undyne began her actual training. Chara and Asriel was starting to learn how to run a kingdom. Alphys got accepted into the Special Advancement Program for science. Life was starting to look brighter.

 

and, even as they all got busy, they remained friends. She still held onto them as tightly as they held onto her.

and she found out that the treasure wasn't in the depths of the waterfall. No, it was right here, with her friends, laughing, singing, playing and just... Existing. This was where a treasure map would lead.

this where she needed to be. And, God, would she stay without a complaint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> but she found something sweeter.  
> \---
> 
> Okay, I was gonna this all sad and stuff but it was getting too cute for me so, like, have this. Sorry it's been taking forever to get these chapters out; I have another little project that I've started for y'all and I've moved so that's been setting me back.
> 
> But, hey, I'm getting somewhere.
> 
> Btw, some of the next chapter to my Bitty stuff is written so, to those waiting for it, I'm getting there! Same to Where It Began!


	22. Relapse (Whispered Lover, Gone with the Wind)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> geno would welcome death with open arms, not because he no longer could fight to live, but simply because, for once, he was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, it's GenoxFresh!
> 
> It's all based on some roleplays with a friend of mine!

The first thing he thought, as his arms had encased nothingness in the morning, was Geno must already be up. The second thought that crossed him, as his fingers brushed over something gritty, was something was terribly wrong.

even so, he pulled himself up slowly, tiredness clinging to his shoulders and eyes, begging for him to lie down and pretend that it was nothing, but he forced the sockets open nonetheless.

And Fresh felt nothing.

once, before this, he had felt nothingness. But it wasn't like this; no, this wasn't the _lack_ of an emotion, but rather a feeling like the emptiness of his arms where a lover once sat clawed its way into his soul and sat heavily there. It was the emotion.

devoid.

and he continued to feel this as he got a jar, filling it with the dust that had been Geno, autopiloted by what he realized must've been a muscle memory from his host, the gray clinging to his fingers and arms as he gathered it. The tips of his fingers ran over the white sweater of his beloved, pausing before the red slash where blood had seemed through. Even now, when no body existed within the fabric, he could not bring himself to brush over the red spot.

Geno used to say how it felt as if he were burning alive when something touched it.

he just couldn't break that trust between them, even if he was no longer there.

so he pulled away, gripping the glass like he was a lifeline, gripping an unwilling patient instead of the other way around but he was failing at keeping the life going and _fuck, it hurts to say that._

 

* * *

 

Once the dust had been cleaned up, Fresh and found a letter, neatly tucked under the covers. He recalled, vaguely, seeing the other holding it as they fell asleep but never asked and, God, why didn't he ask?

but he couldn't change that now, so he pulled the letter open, the paper worn and old, as if written long ago and maybe it was, maybe it had been waiting to be held and read.

 

_ Dear Fresh, _

_ if you're reading this, then I am dead.  _

_ it was common knowledge that I was dying. I was bleeding, with no way to stop it except to leave you and the kids and return to the load screen. But I couldn't. For once, I was happy. I was content, even with the resets. All because I had you, my dearest love. I know I said that I would die on my own terms and, in a way, I had.  _

_ It wasn't that I didn't have the will to keep living, it was because I had finally been content enough in my life to pass without a regret. _

_ im so sorry to leave you. I never wanted to do that but... It was time. I couldn't stand the pain in my chest anymore. Alphys will help you, I know she will. Take care of the children for me, okay? _

_ With love, _

_ Geno _

 

Fresh gagged, gripping the paper as his tears stained it. Last night, Geno had gone to bed knowing he wouldn't wake up the next morning. 

Sure, he knew that, some days, Geno could only lie in bed, counting the seconds til fits of flaring pain settled once again so he could just walk. He knew, some days, the rattling of his bones were loud enough to echo in the room like pleas for it to end. He knew Geno was hurting, badly, and this had been a mercy on him.

 

but he already missed him. Was that so bad?

* * *

 

 

When he had told Duet, Whiteboard, and Alphys the news, he could barely get his voice above a whisper, even more so when he noticed the pain in his family's faces.

to the doctor, Geno had been a friend. Someone to talk science to, someone who understood her mistakes and forgave her, helped her...

to the kids, they lost a papa that, despite the pain, always tried his best to play with them, to love and nurture them...

and he was gone.

 

even so, they pushed forward with the funeral. There wasn't something extremely valuable to the deceased skeleton, so the kept the dust in the jar. Alphys planted flowers in it, while the children painted the glass. There was a small bubble where he wrote Geno's name in pretty letters. The childish scrawls and doodles made it the most beautiful thing Fresh had ever seen.

Geno would have loved it.

 

that night, he pretended he was good at faking that there wasn't something off by sleeping totally alone.

* * *

 

[* R E S E T *]

* * *

 

 

the morning hit him like a ton of bricks, the throbbing headache he'd come to associate with a reset pounding into him. He slowly pulled himself from the cold, empty bed, and just... Sat there. 

The jar was unaffected by the time relapse, and neither was he. But Alphys and the kids were.

the statement was proven as Alphys pushed inside, and looked lost as to why Geno had been replaced by a jar, and why Fresh was sobbing brokenly about 'resets' and a lover long gone.

he couldn't explain to his kids again.

Geno wasn't coming back, and that was the worst.


	23. Before You Were Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the birthday letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mafiatale Sans x Ink

 

"Do you think we could ever settle down?"

The words trickled into the air, sweet as honey, heavy like the body resting partially on his own. Sans didn't mind much about the weight, running rough hands, which now lay bare, over the skull on his chest slowly, gently.

"That's a damn good question, Inkblot," Sans murmured in response, hardly audible, as if raising his voice wouod shatter this moment like a dream he had a long time ago. The smaller skeleton twitched.

"Yknow I can't answer that. We have dangerous lived. Yknow I'll have to say no."

"But suppose it was a yes," Ink asked softly, rolling off of him,"what do you think it'd be like?"

Sans paused, regarding his partner. He didn't know if Ink understood how unfair that question, this conversation, was, but, God, he didn't care now. He just never thought of a future with Ink, all because of the risk it could pose all on its own.

"Well, Inky, I'd like to think we'd have a big, old house by a river, so's you could paint it whenever you'd like."

He watched Ink's eyes close, likely imagining the home. A smile found its way to both of their faces.

"That'd be nice, Sansy. What else?"

"Ah, well... We'd have a big yard. Yknow, wit' all those trees an' bushes an' wildlife? We'd have weepin' willows an' pine trees an' honeysuckles. We'd grow apples an' oranges an' maybe strawberries. The house will have all your art in it." The idea, though impossible, felt so right; this painting of peace and hope, this carefully nurtured dream so perfect that, he realized, he did think about it before.

"Maybe we could adopt a kid... A daughter maybe? Or twins! One girl an' one boy! Imagine that, Inky; twins!" Sans laughed joyously, eyes bright as the tars they lay beneath.

and then Ink was lookin at him again, and he was smiling, too, full of life and color and so Sans realized that the moon and stars couldn't even begin to hope to compare to Ink, and the light he found there. He felt a hand, also gloveless, intertwine with his.

"Twins sound amazing, Sansy," he breathed," just perfect. Please, go on?"

Sans hummed," what 'bout some dogs? We could have a mutt... Or wrottie. An' the kids could play outside wit' he pup. Home cooked meals almost every night, Paps comin' over, too. Wouldn't that be amazin'?"

"absolutely." Ink whispered, chuckling lowly.

A silence, so weightless in its being, sweet like the honey of Ink's voice, so perfect in its dance settled upon them. The image of this impossible future played before them.

 

Sans never thought that Disney movies were the best example for children. They were naive in their nature, foregoing all the cruelty and pain and awful in the world in favor of light hearted tricks. Yet, in this moment, it felt like one of those tricks; the male lead sprawled beneath the stars with the princess, or a hardworking beauty, talking about dreams and love as the twinkling stars stretched their arms in hopes of granting the wishes of the almost lovers below. God, he loved the thought, more than he ever thought he would.

 

"Sans, I love you," Ink expressed quietly, rolling back to him, molding his body to the urge of Sans's side. Sans snaked his arm around him, cradling, loving.

he laughed," I love you, too, Inkblot. Forever and ever. I promise."

* * *

 

 

 

 

They they say that, when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. This theory meant nothing to Sans, as nothing could explain the why to him. 

He thought he'd test the theory when he was older. And, yet, here he was, at the ripe old age of thirty six, on the ground, and a bullet embedded in his chest. His brother was frantically trying to save his life, muttering to him in the empty warehouse he'd been dragged to.

he didn't even notice. All he could see was a grassy hill and stars, all he could feel was a smaller body pressed into his side, heavy and perfect, and all he could hear was a voice of sweet honey speaking of Disney movie dreams with twins, and dogs, and a big house by a river.

the idea of the flashing life was a lie. The only memory he saw was that night, with Ink.

_And, honestly, that's what he preferred._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This rare pair is a lot more addicting than I thought


	24. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope, by any other name, is a wish and a wish, as per the legend, was only to be whispered to the stars.
> 
> Or two opinions form a single sentence.

Sans knew the best parts of the park. The hidden places, where you could bring food and have a date, or to watch the stars, or retreat to somewhere peaceful. Asgore always thought it strange, how the skeleton always knew how to find such pockets of quiet, as if he were drawn to them by a magnetic force. As if the withdrawn nature of both Sans and the hidden places allowed them to communicate their positions in the world. He wandered if Sans had found the hidden places in the Underground, too.

but, for now, he doesn't really care. There was a beaten up path, behind a row of overgrown brush, that led to a small clearing, nestled up against a hill trying to be a mountain. A river flowed to a small pond, which seemed to glow every time someone found it, and a bench hovered by its banks. A weeping willow stretched out its branches, spilling its leaves and its tears. Wild flowers sprouted in awkward bunches, much to the king's delight. This was his own little spot.

he lumbered on to the bench, slowly sinking into the old wood, which groaned softly. But he had no worries about it breaking. After all, it had survived this long. 

Since the willow was the only thing obstructing the sky, it was the perfect place to watch clouds. Or the stars. You see, many monsters had found a fascination with the balls of light upon their escape, but the few who had been to the surface before were contented with just watching them. From time to time, they'd freely seek out a good spot to remember, to recall, to think of stories of before. And this is just what he was here to do.

well, that's not completely true. As childish as it was, he wanted to make a wish. Or a few.

with confidence, he knew that there weren't enough stars for him to grant all his wishes. He held love for everyone in his kingdom. He held love for the humans, too, despite everything that has happened. And there were just too many things he wanted for them.

so he wished for his family. He wished for Sans' happiness, for him to finally relax enough to allow his worries and troubles to tumble from his mouth like an unbidden waterfall. He wished for Toriel to ease the grief harbored by a mother who met Death's gaze one too many times. He wished for his departed children to rest peacefully, now that all has been righted the best they could have been. He wished for Papyrus to achieve his dreams, for Undyne to realize what she has, for Alphys to understand that they all loved her, for Mettaton to let go of the guilt of leaving behind his cousin enough to realize the ghost has forgiven him, for Frisk to allow themselves peace for every person or monster they couldn't save... His heart went out to the patchwork family that he belonged to, in hopes each one finds a happiness of their own.

His thoughts were interrupted, yet he didn't jump nor flinch. It took a long time to really get used to Sans popping out of no where, but he was now. He shifted in his spot on the lonely bench, where the lonely judge settled beside the lonely king in the lonely pocket of time attached to the park to watch the not so lonely stars.

"Rough night, ain't it?" Sans murmured. The king didn't think it so but he knew better to say that, as his now lover needed to say it, needed to let him know he was breaking, but in such a way that only silence could reign so, perhaps, it was a rough night. Finally, he gave a nod.

"the stars are beautiful tonight. Wouldn't you agree, Sans?" Asgore replied, tilting his muzzle upward," they always help me think."

the skeleton shrugged, turning to look, too," you were wishing again, weren't you?"

"of course. Hope, by any other name, is a wish. So, when I wish upon the stars, I am actually hoping."

"but wishes are only ever to be whispered to the stars," Sans croaked and, for a moment, Asgore realized just how painful this must be for him. He could, for a moment, see the cracks in his happiness, could see the smile dissipating, and felt a sorrow that only seemed to come when Sans was opening up just a little.

"the stars don't think that, Sans."

the pain that radiated off of the skeleton seemed to melt away, and the image was back to the Sans they all knew best. But a soft, bitter laugh gave him away.

for a moment, they remained quiet. It was tense, uncomfortable but it had to exist, if only for this moment. 

"Sans..."

Asgore turned, watching the skeleton's eye light up with a soft glow in his surprise. Even once he realized that it was Asgore who spoke, the dim light remained.

"what, Fluffybuns?"

"is there, by any chance, that you'd dance with me?" 

He could see the hesitation on the skeleton's face. Goodness, Sans was so _small_  compared to him.

"Asgore, you only dance with Tori..." 

"Nonsense," the King cried, standing up swiftly. Before Sans could react, he was bundled up into Asgore's arms, and carefully deposited so that his feet were on top of Asgore's. His small hands were carefully held in the large paws of the other, his body pressed close to the mass of fur and muscle.

"see?" Asgore whispered, slowly swaying, as if they were slow dancing. Despite how startled he was, Sans couldn't help but smile, closing his eyes as his lover began to hum a waltz-esc song.

as Sans's own rumbling hum joined in, the stars braced themselves, for, though the two don't know it, their wishes had already begun to come true.


	25. Forget-Me-Nots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget me

Sometimes, Error felt like he was falling. 

Wind would rush past his limp body, curling around bones and dipping insanity into lemon-drop dreams, digging knives into bittersweet memories and, maybe, this was all his fault. Maybe, this is what happens when you let yourself go, when you finally realize what was  _wrong_ and try to make it  _right._ Maybe, he was just crazy.

When these falls happen, he counts the times he's imagined himself to not exist. He'd think of the possibilities, how many people would have lived if he hadn't been there. How many dreams would've come to fruition, how many families would have been started, how many friends would have been made, all because he just... wasn't there.

And then he'd wake up and he'd be on an old mattress inside the shack the Swap Brothers owned, and he'd trudge out into the snow, into the house, and he'd smile. He'd smile and the brothers would smile back, though Papyrus' was strained and Blue's was worried, but it's okay because no one really cares, do they? Not about him. Not about the abomination.

Not about the murderer.

 

This time, when he woke up, he found himself staring at glitched bones embedded in the walls and Papyrus at the door, staring blankly at the darkened skeleton. For a moment, his gaze remained on the taller skeleton, fingers kneading into the sweat-stained (or were those tears?) pillows, chest heaving with the very weight of the air, which seemed to feed him all that was disgusting, all that was sick, so he could throw it up.

Then, his breathing picked up, and his mouth opened, and he realized that the stains on the pillows were tears because he was  _crying._ He thrashed, suddenly smothered in his blankets as a scream ripped from his mouth. His soul thrummed in alarm.

Another bone shot up between his side and his arm.

That's when Papyrus was by his side, untangling the small, shivering body from the blankets and ripping out the magic attack from the bedding. 

When his hand was reaching out, Error flinched.

He looked like he'd been struck.

 

Or like he thought he was going to be.

 

Papyrus forced that thought out of his mind as he tossed the bone attack to the side, his hands hovering just above the other's chest, which fell and rose wildly still. The air seemed to hold still for a moment, before Error's eyes met his and a soft, broken sob escaped past his discolored teeth. He never thought he'd feel this way, seeing his brother's kidnapper like this, but it broke his heart. 

And he wanted to _hold_  Error, wanted to let him curl up in his arms as Papyrus rocked him back and forth, a thrum of a song Papyrus had forgotten swelling to life within his throat, wanted to let the other disappear from the cold ruthlessness of the world and just let him _forget._

 

_but he couldn't._

he couldn't because Error broke with every little touch, because Error, despite the effort his twisted mind put forth, couldn't forget what he had done, couldn't forget the face what gazed upon him with anger and pain and misery, couldn't forget the cries and screams, or feeling of someone slowly giving up the fight beneath him. It would always be burned in his head, forcing his eyes open to the torture of before.

It was what he had to face.

 

before, Papyrus believed that Error had deserved every bit of pain't he faced now. But he didn't know. It was so hard to be angry when you could watch as someone peeled back the curtains and showed off his real colors. 

 

Error was hurting. 

 

Error was hurting and _no one knew how to help him._

 

so now all he could do was sit there, whisper in and humming as tired sobs frothed into life, as magic spilled down the smaller skeleton's cheeks, as wild eyes snapped eddy which way in utter fear. Distantly, the wind roared mournfully, as if death's gentle hand now led another old friend of life's. Distantly, Papyrus wondered how often Error heard that low howl.

 

it could have taken hours for Error to calm down, but he couldn't be sure. His phone was in the house, and no clock had been placed inside the shed, by Error's request. Once he did, everything felt too quiet; a beast awaiting its prey behind pretty lies of false security and faulty hopes.

"...Pah... Papyrus..." Error croaked, his sockets lidded with exhaustion. Papyrus responded with a questioning hum.

 

"can ya... Can ya do me a fa'or?"

"what do you need?"

a heartbeat. Another miserable sigh from the wind. The shed croaked under the weight of the wind's sadness

"please don't forget me," Error breathed out, his head turning, cheek pressed into the pillow," I dun' wanna die, Papyrus. Y'hear me, bro? Like those flowers I told ya about; the ones tha're pretty an' smell nice? I think 'bout 'em a lot. Always wan' some. Don't forget me."

Papyrus fell silent, SOUL pulsing painfully.

 

"don't... Don't let me disappear."

 

and then Error was asleep, ans Papyrus realized that he hadn't seen him, but his dead brother, and Papyrus realized how lonely Error was, how scared he was, how much Error just wanted a _family_.

 

when Error woke up again, a plate of warm pancakes was by his head. A vase of forget-me-nots stood neatly beside them.

...

 

he picked them up, finding a not nestled into the vibrant petals and stems. He brushed a thumb against the smooth cardstock before committing himself to reading it.

 

and he didn't know why but he felt warmth flood him, a wet smile on his face.

 

_forget-me-nots: don't forget me; I'll love you forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: i won't be updating the other stories for a while. I'm trying to write out the chapters and get myself onto a schedule.
> 
> Also, happy Valentine's Day!


	26. Not a chapter

I know you guys are used to me not uploading for weeks to months on end but, this time, it'll be different. I'm in a really bad spot. It's been rough since we moved but this... This was a lot worse than we expected.

 

Due to this, I probably won't be updating this at all for a while. I'm very sorry.


	27. cease to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And he was breaking, and the little bits, the shards, of himself slipped between the cracks, lost to the world.
> 
> And it's for the best, isn't it? No one needed to know that Blue wasn't who he used to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: suicide, severe depression, vent chapter.

Blue could see his reflection in the mirror they bought for the living room. Just off to the side, far away to be forgotten about unless you sat just right. Sideways, his feet tucked under him, hands in his lap, taking up as little room as possible for the couple beside him. 

 

Sans and Cherry were a sight to behold, always so loving and caring to one another. A good fit. He was happy for them. 

I mean, they were his boyfriends but... Well, they were wrapped up with one another.

but what he saw in the mirror was a lie. His too stiff smile, eyes alight with false joy. 

The truth was he was _breaking._  

But that didn't matter much now, did it?

 

 

Blue turned away when they kissed, his eyes focused on the TV. His smile was gone. The images that flashed across the screen were lost to him. It didn't matter. It was okay. 

 

it was okay.

 

three minutes later, he excused himself. The chatter filled the air behind him, filling the place he'd been previously. Neither skeleton acknowledged him leaving. Neither even noticed.

 

_it was okay._

 

he stole away to the room. He couldn't hear them here. The only way they could get his attention was through his phone or going up the stairs. But he knew they wouldn't. They were busy. They had lives. They were living out a love well deserved. He wasn't angry. He wasn't even hurt.

 

well, that's not true. He wondered why he couldn't be content with what he could get.

 

he climbed into his bed, ignoring the covers and just... Lying there. Look at the ceiling. The images there were lost to him. White. Memories played out like a movie. His, but not quite. He didn't want to watch anymore. He was too tired to look away.

 

he counted the seconds. Then he stopped. Time didn't matter. It's just another little lie everyone told themselves to stop them from going insane.

 

his sockets closed and he reveled in the black. Nothingness. No lies. No hurts. Just... Darkness. What a beautiful thing.

 

He wanted that. Pure nothingness. Dreams of darkness. Gone.

 

_It was okay._

 

He was already far away from them. It didn't matter. He could just slip away and they wouldn't notice. They had lives. They were busy.

 

and he opened his eyes, and he realized that tears ran down his cheeks without meaning, and a hollow smile danced on his face, playing tag with the heavy weight of realty in his chest, on his soul. His scarf felt thicker. He felt like he was choking.

 

maybe because Blue was? His hands, tugging, pulling, tightening the cloth, tattered just like him. 

 

it was okay, he thought. This was what needed to be.

 

the last thoughts in his head as he felt himself crumble. Not really painful, just... Odd. It started with his legs, dust gathering and spilling. He tried to laugh, but his scarf was too tight around his neck. As his legs disappeared, so did thinking. His mind was blank. He was still smiling. 

 

The he clock was ticking on the wall. With each tick of a second, another inch disappeared. He marveled at how simple his very being could just... Ceased to be, in some ways. His pelvis melted into dirty gray.

 

the dusting sped up as he gasped for air that he didn't want. Up his spine, through his ribs, shoulder blades, arms... Face, fingers...

 

and his soul. With the remaining eye, he watched his now laid bare soul unravel, sprinkling light blue gray on his pile of dust. Then there was nothingness.

 

he ceased to be.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

and they didnt notice until hours later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is a vent chapter. It's loosely based off of CrushingonSans's series, Hold Tight, or Don't Let Go. The classicchereyberry resembles the relationship I had not too long ago with my now ex girlfriends. So, combining that with those stories, this shitty chapter was born.


	28. Fighter's Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They noticed him, this time. They noticed him and wept and loved, and he lived and lived. They, despite slipping, bore i n t e g r i t y.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This piece is connected to Cease to Be.

it was okay, he thought. This was what needed to be.

the last thoughts in his head as he felt himself crumble. Not really painful, just... Odd. It started with his legs, dust gathering and spilling. He tried to laugh, but his scarf was too tight around his neck. As his legs disappeared, so did thinking. His mind was blank. He was still smiling.

The clock was ticking on the wall. With each tick of a second, another inch disappeared. He marveled at how simple his very being could just... Ceased to be, in some ways.

Then the pressure was gone, replaced by hands, and the dusting stopped just before his pelvis, and he could hear weeping, and he _finally felt something-_

Sobs bubbled to life in his throat. Cherry was scooping up what was left of him as Sans cleaned up the dust. Blue could see both of them shaking, could feel each earthquake strike Cherry's larger body like they wanted to tear him apart. Neither spoke to him until shoes were thrown on and they were making their way out the door.

"Blue," Sans breathed, weak,"Blue-"

 

"We're so sorry," Cherry chimed in,"god-"

"We're so sorry-"

"We should've-"

"If only-"

The spoke at the same time, tears bubbling down their cheeks and it wasn't right, nothing was okay, because this shouldn't have happened.

"The signs were all there." They said, in unison, in harmony of the broken.

And he didn't reply. He just stared, stared anywhere but where his legs had been, because seeing remainders of dust fall to the ground like snow or those ugly tears were better than seeing an absence.

They were in a hospital. The doctors buzzed about, assuring the two boyfriends of Blue's health. He'll be in pain, they said. He probably can't get prosthetic legs, they said. He'll be so frail from now on, they said.

Each word went above the smaller skeleton. He could only lie in a too-white bed, surrounded by too-white walls. Days and nights passed in flashes of brief light and even more fleeting moments of consciousness. He could barely remember any of the visitors he received, only that he received them. When he was stabilized, he went into a mental hospital for a few days before winding up back home.

Home, he realized, didn't feel as empty as he had previously thought.

Sans was pushing his wheelchair, slowly, to let the male take in the new flowers taking root in their yard. It looked more well-maintained than when he last saw it last, though only roughly a week ago. The house was even cleaner, everything in its place without looking like a homeowner's catalog. Cherry met them in the kitchen, gripping a pan of what looked like pot pie, but he couldn't from his place. Cherry smiled tiredly.

"I didn't think ya could get any shorter, sweetheart." He remarked lowly. Sans shot him a glare, but Blue smiled back, just the tiniest bit genuine.

"just goes to show that I'm _always_ exceeding expectations, huh?"

He felt Sans falter.

* * *

  **Day four**

Day four, and he didn't smile once since returning. Day four, and he had too many nightmares to speak of. Day four, and Sans wouldn't touch him. Day four, and Cherry was scared of breaking him.

He felt like glass. He felt like a broken doll.

None of them spoke of the _reason_ of these issues.

* * *

  **Night four**

Blue still slept in the same bed as his partners, but he now had a separate blanket. Cherry had reverted to his old habits, making himself as small as possible. Though, the implication of this behavior would hurt, Blue felt nothing. Sans left shortly after an hour to sleep on the couch.

He vaguely could hear sobbing.

But Blue didn't feel a thing. He did not sleep that night.

* * *

  **Day nine**

Blue awoke from his nap when he heard the softest footsteps, heading towards the closet. His sockets fluttered open and he was met with Sans, who had frozen upon noticing his movements.

"Hey, Bluebird," Sans whispered, his hands pressing together nervously,"I didn't mean to wake you."

"Where are you going?" Blue asked, slowly pushing himself up from the bed. His pelvis shifted against the mattress with the movement and he was once more reminded of the absence of his legs. Sans looked surprised by the question, so Blue quickly explained himself,"you never go to the closet unless you're heading out."

His partner opened his mouth for a moment before shrugging. For a moment, Blue thought he looked just as tired as he felt.

"A walk. I'm taking a walk."

"Okay."

"Go back to your nap."

"Okay."

"..."

He lied back down before he could watch Sans' retreating figure.

* * *

  **Day eleven**

Sans and Cherry began frequently checking up on him, trading off whenever one of them was busy. Despite it only started two days ago, Blue had grown used to it.

He felt a familiar burn that he quickly realized was the barest flame of affection swell in his chest.

* * *

  **Night thirteen**

 Blue didn't wake up until seven. He pretended that he had been awake for far longer, just opting to take naps every once in a while. He did not allow himself to be reminded that he didn't go to bed until eight that morning.

He slowly sat up, letting his gaze sweep the surrounding area. He realized that Cherry was curled up, fast asleep with his newest reading investment, a human book by the name of _The Spire_ , in his lap, on the rocking chair Blue had insisted on buying when they all began investing in a small reading nook in the room. It had been for the very skeleton before him, meant to help Cherry learn to let Sans and him spoil him more. The rocking chair was large, with old cushions that had been repaired with mismatched patches, but the reddish tint of mahogany wood twinkling in the low glow of a reading lamp made it feel as though it was the most gorgeous thing in existence, especially with the carefully carved flowers along the arm and back rests. It matched an old bookcase, filled to the brim with how to books, fantasy, and murder mystery, all things Cherry had a habit of reading. A glass end table was positioned carefully next to the rocking chair, allowing the skeleton to drape his legs over the armrest without knocking the lamp or a cup over. A lightly scented candle also sat near the lamp.

He tilted his head, remembering _how hard_ it was to find everything for Cherry. His sockets fluttered closed as he thought of it.

It had been Sans' idea, shortly after the three had decided to move in with one another. Their room had been a little too big for the three of them as, though they possessed a slightly larger number of people sharing a room. None of them owned much, and preferred to keep it that way. Their room had only seemed to grow in size when they had settled in and Blue had found a good organization method for all three of them.

Before the suggestion, Cherry had been spoiling the crap out of him and Sans, Blue thought fondly. New clothes, nice decorations for the house, jewelry, chocolates... But, every time the two of them attempted to give something to the other, he had turned it down politely. At first, Blue didn't think much of it until Sans pointed out his extremely low self-esteem, which became a breeding ground for anxiety and doubt. He realized Cherry wouldn't let them gift him things because he just didn't think he was worthy of that.

So, when Cherry's brother called him for a visit to the taller skeleton's new house for a few days, they began putting forth a plan.

It wasn't hard to pick what they wanted to do for him, considering that, when Cherry wasn't helping with cooking, napping, or making god awful jokes, he was reading. The hard part was finding the perfect chair and end table to match their stored-away bookcase. So Blue took off to hit some thrift stores while Sans scoured the Internet. Blue had found the chair, and repaired its cushion as a temporary solution until they could get a new seat, and Sans had found the end table, which he had decided to paint when he saw the poor shape of the frame, and the lamp was a gift from Blue's Alphys.

When Cherry came back, he nearly broke down crying. He loved it. He loved every part of it.

Afterward, they took him out for nice cream and book shopping.

That had been a wonderful day, Blue thought. It was like a date, in a way.

But he was too tired to keep thinking, so he lied back down and fell asleep once more.

* * *

  **Day twenty one**

It was twelve thirty four when he finally willed himself to sit up again. The room smelled rather disgusting, as he never could bring himself to get up and call for help in bathing. Everything had a thin layer of dust. He knew well that his partners didn't want to clean the room, in fear of having to uproot Blue, or bother him.

He realized he could hear Cherry watching TV. He knew it was him because he was the only one that enjoyed _Criminal Minds._

Blue moved to glance out the window behind the bed, staring at the gently swaying trees in their neighbor's yard before turning back around. Sans was standing in the doorway, shoulders slumped and sockets hazy.

He wondered how much sleep Sans had been getting.

"oh," Sans breathed, sockets closing for a moment,"you're awake."

"yeah." Blue replied.

They stared at each other. Distantly, he heard a woman's voice say something about chocolate, which prompted another character to respond with 'baby girl'. Neither paid much attention to it.

Then Sans moved onto the bed, and his hand stretched out, hesitating, shaking. Blue didn't react, just held the other's gaze as slowly, so very slowly, Sans cupped his cheek, touch just a gentle wind that he could barely feel. Blue's sockets fluttered close, leaning into the hand with a slight tilt of his head and hummed.

 

"I'm so sorry," Sans whispered, leaning forward and pressing his teeth to the top of his skull.

Blue didn't know if the apology was out of love or guilt.

"It's okay. I forgive you." Blue said.

He didn't know if 'I forgive you' meant that he loved him, or if he just didn't want to see Sans hurt.

* * *

  **Night twenty one**

As the other two skeletons settled around him, Blue felt arms wrap around his little body. Sans pressed against him, held them, as they fell asleep.

Blue didn't have nightmares that night.

* * *

  **Day thirty five**

Blue had been given a bath and brought downstairs. Honestly, it was about time, considering how little he moved about nowadays. He found his phone sitting on the end table, the silvery blue gleam glaring up at him, while charms sat dusty, mocking him.

He picked it up as Sans turned on the TV. He punched in his password and his screensaver popped up (he still admired the picture despite its age; him, his boyfriends, and their brothers gathered in front of a waterfall, the water creating rippling rainbows in the photo. Everyone had the biggest smile possible on their face, while still harboring things that made them _them_ , condiment bottles and scarves and flowers and rocks-), then the device buzzed with missed notifications.

His face twisted into mute horror upon seeing Alphys and Undyne's messages, each more desperate than the last.

"Did you guys tell them?" Blue asked, glancing up to his partners. Cherry eyed the phone in his hand.

 

"No. We... We thought it'd be best to focus on just you, yknow?" Sans whispered hoarsely, glancing away. Blue found he wasn't upset.

"They've been worried,"He mentioned,"neither knew what was going on. I'm surprised Alphys hasn't kicked down our door yet."

The other two skeletons shrugged, prompting the end of the conversation. They went back to browsing and Blue opened Alphys' chat.

**B: Hey.**

It didn't take too long for a response to come; three seconds later and the phone buzzed.

**_A: YOU'RE FLIPPING ALIVE_ **

**B: Haha, yeah. We just**

**B: We had some problems**

**_A: NO KIDDING! WHAT HAPPENED???? DID THOSE KNUCKLEHEADS DO SOMETHING?????_ **

**B: No, it was my fault. You'll see later, kay? I'll come visit.**

**_A: YOU BETTER!!! AND SOON!!!!!!_ **

Blue smiled, chuckling as he tucked the device back into place on the end table. He turned his attention to Sans and Cherry, who were still quietly bickering on what to watch.

"Guys?" Blue began,"can we watch MythBusters?"

The two jolted to look at him again, both shocked before mirroring expressions of excitement appeared on their faces.

Cherry clapped his hands,"that's perfect!"

"Why didn't I think of that?" Sans mumbled, grabbing the remote and changing the channel. Blue relaxed into the cushion behind him, his own tiny, but bigger than before, smile on his face. Cherry spread a blanket across the three's laps and the all settled, leaning against one another and preparing for explosions, mayhem, and myth busting of epic proportions.

* * *

  **Day thirty six**

It was a bad day. Blue stayed in bed. Sans had left the house and Cherry was napping on the couch.

He closed his eyes and wondered about where all the good times went.

* * *

  **Day thirty seven**

Cherry pulled the shirt over Blue's head, helping the smaller skeleton adjust so the long, dress-like cloth tucked neatly under his pelvis. The spiraling blue designs looked faded, along with the cream background, but it was comfortable and pretty. He then tied Blue's scarf, kissing his forehead once finished.

"There we go. You still comfortable with this?"

"Yeah," Blue smiled," Alphys and Undyne miss me! What better way to see them again than a double date?"

Cherry chuckled, moving behind the other's wheelchair. He checked over his button-up and jeans again, adjusting the tie before pushing the wheelchair out the room. Sans stood at the door, wearing a more decorative dress shirt with ruffles and slacks, fidgeting with his fingers.

"damn, you look fine." Cherry commented with a grin. Sans flushed, puffing out his cheeks.

Blue scowled,"two gold in the swear jar."

Cherry's expression dropped to false annoyance as he did as he was told, Sans' laughter following suit.

___

The restaurant wasn't exactly "fancy", but it wasn't fast food. Alphys and Undyne were already there, having been seated for about ten minutes when the three skeletons entered the building and made their way to the table.

The entire time, Alphys watched the wheelchair, forcing her expression to be neutral even as her partner gasped quietly at the lack of legs on their friend. She pressed her clawed hands against the polished wood, inhaling forcefully before letting a tense smile cross her cheeks. Their friends sat down with some maneuvering to be done to accommodate Blue's chair.

"what happened...?"

Sans opened his mouth to explain but Blue cut him off with a quick wave of his hand,"a mistake is what happened. But I'm okay. It's not painful."

Alphys shifted in her seat, glancing to meet her girlfriend's gaze, somewhat obscured by the fish monster's glasses before looking to her friend.

"Well, you're a tough kid, so recover soon, okay? We've got work to do, yknow."

Blue responded with a goofy grin and a salute.

* * *

  **Day thirty eight**

He was too tired to get up, even with his phone signaling that his friends wanted to talk and his boyfriends insisting on watching movies.

He stayed in bed.

It was a bad day.

* * *

  **Night forty nine**

At seven, like clockwork, they all settled in for dinner. Spaghetti, for old times sake for Sans and Cherry. They had purchased a lower table so Blue didn't have to leave his wheelchair, which, considering their heights, was for the best, anyway.

Blue was slowly working his way through the pasta when Cherry tapped the oak wood, drawing his attention. He had a nervous smile.

"I, uh, I wanted to talk about maybe renovating the house?" Cherry began,"to make it easier for all of us to get around, yknow? Um, and... and maybe make it bigger?"

Blue tilted his head,"I mean, other than getting around... why would you want to? That's expensive."

"Um, no reason. I just like the idea of having a big house." the red-clad skeleton murmured, getting quieter with anxiety. Blue rolled his eyes.

 

"Sure, but nothing too expensive."

* * *

 

**Day fifty three**

The plans were solidified, and construction would begin in a week. They were staying with Sans' brother.

* * *

  **Day sixty**

They met Papyrus at his house. Inside, Blue could hear Mettaton's airy laugh, accompanied by the sound of their foster children's laughter. He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined that for himself.

___

 

Papyrus took Cherry's place in pushing Blue's wheelchair in, despite the edgier skeleton's quiet protests. Sans followed him with slow strides, taking his time to look at all the photos hung up in the hallway going from the front door to the living room. Photos of Sans and Papyrus, at Papyrus' wedding, several foster children, pets, Mettaton and his family... Just there, showing off everything and anything that meant something.

...

Sans did really have a cool brother.

The group crowded into the living room, each taking in the sight of the family. A dark-skinned human child with even darker hair, think and curly and pulled into a ponytail, and warm eyes held up an old airplane toy above a second child, this one a fluffy monster that vaguely looked like a cross between a rabbit and bird, who was trying to get the toy despite their short height. Mettaton watched from the couch, a dog curled up in his lap.

It didn't take long for Mettaton to take notice their guests and cleared his throats, catching the kids' attention.

"Natalie, Kuma, these are Sans, Cherry, and Blue." The robot introduced, nodding their way. The kids stared awkwardly before whispering among themselves. Then, the human child marched up to them, a wide grin settling on her cheeks.

 

"So _you're_ the group Papa Paps keeps talkin' 'bout! I'm Nat," she said proudly, puffing out her chest much like Papyrus.

Sans chuckled,"You're a nat-ural charmer."

...

Nat and Papyrus gave him a full look of disdain, though the second kid, now known as Kuma, gave a soft giggle. That's when they walked over, their steps slight hops.

 

"That was a good joke. I'm gonna guess that-" They pointed to Sans,"-you're Sans, right? Then the red guy is Cherry, and the blue one is... Blue. Did I get it right?"

Cherry leaned against the wheelchair,"you're good, kiddo. What are ya, a mind reader?"

 

"I wish!" Kuma exclaimed, crossing their arms with a slight pout, their cheeks puffing out. Their ears bobbed with the movement, the long bunny-like appendages sticking out at odd angles, one slopped near their shoulders and one stretching to the side. Honestly, a rather disheveled appearance came out about Kuma.

Papyrus decided, likely due to Blue fidgeting with Nat's intense gaze on him, that it was time for the three to be shown to their room and for the children to prepare for dinner.

* * *

  **Night sixty four**

Cherry and Sans couldn't get Blue to eat in the dining room so, with little prompting, Papyrus allowed them to eat in the room.

Blue didn't get too far into the meal before lying down and pretending the bed was his own.

* * *

  **Day sixty seven**

Blue counted up to ten every five seconds. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten... breathe.

He could hear Kuma playing with Cherry and Sans. Sometimes, Kuma's voice was replaced what he imagined his child to sound like, if he were to have one. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten... Breathe.

Magic, particularly souls, were strange things. If they had wanted to, Papyrus and Mettaton could have had a biological child, but decided they wanted to adopt. Blue thought about adopting, too, and, while he liked the idea, he desprately wanted a child of his own, ahem, "flesh and blood."

He stared at where his legs used to be.

onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightninetenbreathebreathebreathe-

He closed his eyes and sobbed. Counting did him no good, as he was now mourning a loss of something he would never have.

would he even be able to care for a child as he was now?

one, two, thr-

* * *

  **Day sixty nine**

The morning had long since passed by the time Blue finally felt well enough to get up. Though, even if he wanted to do just that, he found the warmth of the comforter too enticing. Combined with Sans and Cherry's arms around him, he was much too hard not to give into.

Cherry's hand caressed the side of Blue's skull, kissing his forehead. Sans shifted slightly on the other side, his head resting lightly on top of Blue's chest, one of his hands tangling with Blue's. They all whispered loving words, and exchanged fantasies of a future only they could have together.

And he loved the picture they painted.

* * *

  **Day seventy one**

This morning, Blue was wheeled into the dining room to eat with the family. Everyone was still in PJs, as what happens on a lazy sunday. Papyrus donned in a pinstripe set, Mettaton in a nightgown and robe, Blue in a sweater and oversized t-shirt, Cherry and Sans in boxer shorts and t-shirts. Kuma was in shorts and a tank-top, though wrapped in a blanket, and Nat chose boxer shorts, a tank top, and slippers.

Mettaton was poised over the coffee machine, pulling out mugs for the adults and cups and juice for the kids. Papyrus and Sans worked together to make chocolate chip pancakes, while Cherry and Blue read the newspaper together.

Sleep tugged at each family member, so silence became their words, instead. Silence as Blue and Cherry quietly pointed out things in the newspaper, silence as Kuma and Nat made funny faces at each other, silence as Mettaton stared at the old machine trying to produce coffee, and silence as Sans and Papyrus worked.

Until... well...

 

"...Papyrus, that's... that's _batter_ y.¨

"SANS! THIS IS WHY I THREW IT AT YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"

"Guys, my own brother is gonna-"

"turn you into a pancake?" Blue supplied, which met with silence and then loud, up beat laughter from Cherry, Sans, and Kuma. Papyrus stared at him in utter betrayal, Nat glared, and Mettaton managed to only look surprised with the joke.

 

"BLUE, I TRUSTED YOU!"

Blue's grin widened, leaning forward and holding back laughter,"What, you can't deal with this _crepe_ ? Oh my stars, you're gonna _flip_ , aren't you?"

As more guffaws filled the area, followed by Blue's own cackle, Papyrus just watched, his spatula by his side.

_"NYEH-!!"_

___

Everyone pitched in to clean up the mess that had ensued after a small pun war between the three lovers. Then, once everything was done and the food served, they settled at the table once more.

"So what's the plan for today?" Sans inquired, taking a small sip of his coffee. After a moment, he scrunched up his face, grabbed the ketchup and poured some more into the black liquid. Cherry blinked, double checked his, and added a little more milk and sugar. At this, Blue found himself, not for the first time, relieved that Cherry at least had one sensibe favorite.

He recalled the massive collection of mustard bottles at home and couldn't help but shudder.

"SANS, YOU ARE SO-"

 

"Well, Sansy, dear, we were thinking about heading down to the park. For a picnic." Mettaton interrupted his husband, eyeing said flustered skeleton. Papyrus huffed softly, turning his head to stare at his meal.

"That sounds lovely," Blue said, leaning forward in his wheelchair,"we could invite my brother... And Cherry's, too. We haven't seen them in a long time."

Sans tilted his head,"yeah, that sounds great until Edgy-Mc-Edgyson stares swearin' in front of the kids."

"Hey!" Cherry glared at Sans,"my brother ain't all that bad. I'm the one with the bad mouth."

Blue eyed Sans, who's grin slowly grew. Before he could say an inappropriate joke, Blue cleared his throat,"I'm sure everything's fine. I'll call them up, if that's okay?"

The family in front of them glanced to one another before nodding.

___

After breakfast, Blue sat alone in the living room while everyone dressed for the day. He stared at his phone screen, his brother's smiling contact photo gazing back up at him almost hauntingly. He's not sure when they stopped talking, or when they just... dropped out of each other's lives, but he knew it was painful. It's not like they had left off on a bad note; the transition was smooth, quickly going from infrequent phone calls, to hurried, one-worded texts, to nothing, as though silence had become their new communication.

His thumb pressed 'call' and his soul lurched.

...

After the fourth ring, a tired voice came from the speaker.

"Sans, is that you?"

...

"Good morning, Papy." Blue whispered, glancing to the side.

There was some commotion on the other side,"Mornin', bro. Uh, what did you want?"

He flinched, closing his eyes and trying to collect himself.

"I just... wanted to know if you wanted to come to a picnic, Brother. Mettaton, Papyrus, their kids, and us will be there an-"

"Hold on,"his voice was clipped,"you think you can invite me to a picnic after seven years of no contact, whatsoever? Fuck, Sans! I've been emailin' and textin' you this entire time and no goddamn response!"

"I... I'm sorry," Blue murmured, fighting down tears,"I tried, okay? I really, really tried, Papy!"

The was no response, and Blue felt himself crumble, slumping into his wheelchair as he sobbed. He tried, for God's sake, he tried! Because, even before the incident, he had problems, problems that he just didn't talk about or address, that he worked on his own and he got so caught up in all of it. He was trying to survive, he was trying to claw his way out of this God forsaken pit that he'd thrown himself into by being so _fucking stupid-_

"f-fuck, Papyrus, I'm so fucking sorry." He whispered into the phone, his own voice breaking and trembling with the very weight of speaking.

Silence. Silence meant Blue should just give up. Silence meant that his brother didn't care. Silence meant-

"-it's okay, Blue. It's okay. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking... I... I'll be there, okay? And we can talk about this, alright?"

"yeah, okay."

Sans found him shortly after, bawling and shaking something bad.

* * *

  **Day seventy one, noon**

The park had never been given an official name. It was just known as 'the park', though other nicknames could be found within certain communities. For the 'Tale universe monsters, they sometimes called it Memorial, as they often reminisce of the soldiers that fell in the war so long ago and how they would have loved seeing this.

Despite the humans' discomfort, and the rocky relationship that they held not only with the monsters in general, but also the alternate universe dwellers which now shared the same space as them, the dedicated park was massive. Big, sloping hills, a fast running river, a small forest, and two separate play areas made up the land. Flowers sprung freely, in unorganized masses that were honestly much prettier than the neat bushels most humans had. The wildlife liked to poke out every once in a while, as well.

The group headed towards a gazebo, which had been built next to the river, up against one of the massive mounds of earth. The structure itself had seen better days, what with the darkened wood and the ivy growing up its sides. In this spot, the grass had overgrown. Inside, Damian was reclined on the seat, his sockets closed as a young skeleton monster placed a relatively crappy crown of dandelions on top of his head. In response, Blue's brother tickled the child's sides and kissed their forehead, his eyes bright with affection.

Damian's joy was interrupted as Blue's wheelchair was pushed up the ramp, causing the wood to groan and creak. He made eye contact with Blue, who slumped further in the chair, cheeks flushed in shame.

 

"Hi, brother," Blue whispered, his fingers twitching on his arm rests.

"Blue, what ha-" Damian froze,"I... I mean, sup? Uh..."

The two fell silent, refusing to look at one another. Blue felt Sans' hand on his shoulder.

 

"Oh, you two are ridiculous! Mettaton, let's take everyone and let them talk this out, shall we?" Papyrus cut in, his voice much softer.

Mettaton nodded firmly,"sounds like a plan, darling. Come on, little ones."

Mettaton herded his own children, Sans and Cherry, and Damian's child, who introduced herself in a soft voice as they walked away. Blue caught the name as it faded, and admired it. Caecilia. Such a pretty name. Such a lovely child.

Blue cut down his jealousy at the root. 

...

"...please tell me what happened." Damian whispered, scooting the wheelchair closer to him. Blue could see orange magic faintly flickering, sputtering from his brother's socket, twinged with a dark, deep red of concern. His own sockets attempted to glow, too, only to come short, as he no longer had much magic to spare. Not for a long time, anyway.

Blue sighed lowly,"Damian, I..."

He trailed off, unsure of how to speak about _this_ , how to explain that he wasn't _happy,_ and he hadn't been for the longest of times. How could he tell his brother, who relied on his cheerfulness to get through a day, that he had the same soul crushing, sickening weight on his shoulders, often times a plague called Depression. How could he tell his brother that he didn't call him, didn't email him, or do anything, all because he, too, had this thing and couldn't find it in himself to do something about it?

"Did they do it?" his brother asked, venom in his voice. Though no names were mentioned, Blue knew Damian was referring to his boyfriends.

Blue rubbed his skull,"no, it wasn't their fault. I was... hurting, Papy. I did it. I... I choked myself. I was trying to die. I was giving up."

He watched his brother's face drop, horror painting his expression and Blue felt his soul break at the sight.

"Sans..." Damian breathed, his hands trembling,"You... I'm... I'm so sorry... I should've-"

 

"-Papy," Blue interrupted sternly,"you couldn't have known that I was depressed. I _made sure_ you didn't know because I was handling it just fine. You needed help."

"...how long did you feel like that?"

...

"...since dad disappeared."

__

After the reveal, they moved on to talk about other things in life. Damian's child, Caecilia, was born in an unfulfilling relationship that lasted one month before the birth to two months after, with a skeleton whose name was forgotten in the joy of having Caecilia around. They lived in a two-room apartment with very little, yet found themselves contented with their lives. Damianworked as a science teacher at the college, which, Blue learned, was one of the first to accept monster students and faculty and allow them to mix with humans. Damian had a dog, a corgi/border collie mix that rarely moved or rarely stopped eating, and a cat, a tiny kitten from the shelter that suffered burns to her paws.

Blue admitted that his life hadn't changed much. Blue worked under Alphys, still, which now had more to do with politics and conflicting laws between the universes and the humans, particularly laws that the Fells held. Though, despite this, the Swaps and Tales' previous royal guardsmen found themselves working closely with the human's police and firemen. They didn't go under their old title, but it didn't matter much. Blue had no pets, no kids, and stayed home most days, especially since his incident. Before, he had simply started handling Alphys' paperwork, often times either doing it for her or editing it before delivering them to the king and queen. Rarely, he'd also bring work to the other royalties. Nonetheless, he stayed home. But Sans, now a semi-renowned scientist, and Cherry, an aggressive but sweet member of several neighborhood groups and clubs, had become more energetic and outgoing.

They spoke, once, of the idea of children, but the memory was forgotten amonst Blue's current situation. 

Slowly, they moved to just... remembering. They talked about the way things used to be. They talked of Papyrus and Mettaton's wedding, their old hikes with the other universes... 

Just remembering.

__

The group gathered once more in the gazebo. Cherry's brother had arrived, bearing reading glasses and a semi-formal appearance. Just as Blue remembered him, with perfect posture and a stern expression, which only changed with a cunning smirk. Overall, intimidating and devilishly handsome; which contrasted with Cherry's desire to please and shy cuteness. The two brothers somehow managed to be more different than Sans and Papyrus with this overall theme. 

They called him Lee, nowadays, didn't they?

He settled onto the bunch with grace, right next to Damian, who rolled his eyes at the gesture. Nonetheless, everyone seemed relatively glad to just be in one another's presence once more.

"So, what's for lunch?" Damian asked, watching Caecilia converse with Natalie and Kuma. Blue spotted the smile on his face easily; his brother had spoken of Caecilia's difficulty in making friends. With Nat, however, it was no surprise that the young skeleton adopted to being friends with the two quickly. After all, the confidence certainly sucked you in without annoying you. Plus, Kuma's more gentle nature made Nat much more easy to handle.

At the question, Papyrus (gently) threw the picnic onto a bench, opening it with a florish and a 'nyeh',"CRAPPY SANDWICHES!"

* * *

  **Day seventy two**

  
The day before sapped every bit of energy he had. Blue's head spun and his soul seemed to sink. He did not get up. He did not eat.

He didn't even know if Cherry and Sans noticed.

* * *

**Day seventy four**

Blue didn't realize how comfortable the couch was. Papyrus and Mettaton chose well, what with it not being overly guady and being soft, allowing his little body to sink in some. The pillows, though decorative, also managed to serve a purpose outside of asthetics. 

It wasn't exactly early, but the children were likely asleep. Cherry and Sans went out to do some errends and Mettaton and Papyus decided an all-day date was in order. He couldn't blame them, since they were busy raising two rambunctious kids.

...

He's taking care of the rambunctious kids now. Without legs.

...

hiS WHEELCHAIR WASN'T EVEN NEAR HIM-

 

Blue pushed himself up from the cushions, glaring at his wheelchair, which was close enough to be frustratingly out of reach. He then glared at the carpet, knowing he'd have to crawl to reach his only transportation. He leaned forward some, praying to whatever deity there was that physics and anatomy would break enough for him to retrieve the wheelchair.

But, alas, the world didn't work that way.

He began working himself off the couch and onto the floor, grunting and huffing with the exertion and his annoyance. Chest to the floor and arms poised, he cringed as the carpet's texture scratching at anything that was bare. Slowly, he began to make his way over to his goal.

He was half-way there when he heard footsteps. He turned his head and met Kuma's gaze, staring at him in a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Mr. Blue," Kuma began,"why are you on the floor?"

"...Kuma, I don't know if you've noticed but I don't have legs."

There was an awkward silence between the two of them before Kuma walked cover, careful not to step on Blue with their bird-like talons, then helped the small skeleton into his wheelchair.

Blue smiled tiredly,"sorry... I didn't mean to snap. Your parents are out, by the way."

"date day?" They asked, tilting their head. Their ears followed suit in an almost exaggerated way.

He chuckled,"date day."

The skeleton began wheeling to the kitchen, slowly, as the child followed by his side. Neither spoke as the pushed onward, Kuma's clicking talons and Blue's squeaky wheels the only sounds. But Blue felt at peace in this moment, the gentle quiet dancing between them, brushing past their bodies and twirling in the pristine kitchen. Blue could almost see it, the figure donned in a tutu and slippers, tinged a dark blue. Spinning, leaping, stunning a-  
  
"Mr. Blue?" Blue glanced to Kuma, blinking rapidly. He suddenly felt so tired... so, so tired... He made an acknowledging sound.

"did you see the dancer, too?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad for killing off Blue in that one, so I wrote this piece! Though, I'll be honest, it only ends on a cliff hanger because I was getting tired over writing this same work. It's now at 6,178 words. I might write a sequel, if ya'll want!


	29. but nobody came

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The progression of loneliness; joke to pain.

"MOM, HELP-"

These words were spoken with a breathless happiness, interrupted by laughter. Chara grinned at their brother, in which whom the words belonged to, with an evil intent.

The hardwood floor of the house dug into their knees and they were sure that Asriel's back ached, especially with his sibling's weight on top of his own, but the two were having fun. Their limbs had been tangled up with each little movement, but neither minded. They could hear Toriel on the phone, cooking as she did, trusting her kids to behave. Asgore was likely still asleep and, while it was rude to awaken their father, they both found they didn't care.

"I can't believe mom is straight up abandoning you, Azzy," Chara chuckled, jabbing their fingers into his sides.

"nooooo," replied Asriel, fighting down laughter,"help, mom! help!"

Chara moved again, relentlessly tickling their brother and narrating,"you called out for help but nobody came!"

* * *

 

They were older now and, really, not that much wiser. Chara thought they understood what they were doing with this plan. Get Azzy to absorb their soul, slip out, and get the souls so the monsters could finally, finally be happy, as they so very much deserved. Then, finally, lay Chara's body to rest in their favorite flowers- always had been more beautiful on the surface.

No one would miss seven people, right? There's millions of humans out there. It's fine. No one is worried about it.

Except they were. The people's angry screams rang in the air as they fought Asriel's new form. This... whatever it was, was unstable. Chara's soul flickered, only holding onto their determination for the sake of monsterkind. Asriel wept behind the powerful being's mask. Bullets punctured the fusion from every side.

They made their way back at a snail's pace. The fusion collapsed, dust gathering among petals of imitations.

"help... please," cried Azzy. Chara's soul pulsed weakly.

 "you called out for help... but no one came..."

They were older, but, really, not any wiser. That much was proven as the dust settled with a mournful king and queen.

* * *

Frisk stood their ground, eyes staring up at the entity known as Asriel. The faint smell of buttercups wafted to and fro their battlefield. This was it- the last battle needed to free these creatures they had met. The monsters, Frisk found, deserved to see a sunrise again. They would do this for Mom, for Sans and Papyrus, for Alphys, Undyne, Mettaton, and every single friend they had made along the way.

But... as unfair as it is, Frisk was scared. They stood there, trembling, gazing at a thing that could take eat them whole. The worst part was that they weren't alone. The strange spirit floated beside them, buttercups decorating Their hair and most of Their body, weaving among fabric and hair, flooding Their eye and mouth. The petals were large enough to hide a good chunk of Their face. Despite this, They easily found Their way.

"Where did our friends go?" Frisk asked shakily. They did not reply.

Frisk began to cry softly, whimpering out pleas for help. They were just a child, just a child.

The spirit turned to them,"you cried for help but nobody came..."

* * *

 

"Hey, Azzy?"

"What's up, Chara?"

"do you wanna nap on the couch like we used to?"

"...no tickling this time. Promise?"

"Promise. Let's... let's sleep now, okay?"

"Yeah. We deserve it, right?"

"...yeah. We did good."

...  
  
"Good night, Azzy."

"Nighty, Chara."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is incredibly short. I am so sorry, ya'll. The good news: I'm probably gonna start updating Where It Began again soon, as well as a new fanfic by the name of Lost Children. And, on top of that, I'm working on an extremely long one-shot for this little collection that has, so far, reached a little over 6,000 words and still doesn't have a good ending spot, so that'll maybe be a treat!


End file.
